A Promise to the Moon
by Tsukuyomu
Summary: Under the light of the moon, a promise was made to acquire enough strength to protect those most precious to her Master. She bore her heart on her sleeve, later it was ripped apart. Left with no choice she hardens her heart, and creates a resolve that bears witness to her past and creates a web of hurt that connects many individuals to one being, broken and fragile of heart. HIATUS
1. Sparky Start

**Author's Note:** This is the second attempt at writing a story, and therefore, it will still be horrible like the first, as it takes time for improvement. Apologies are given in advance for the quality of the work and the change in the characters, if any occurs. Apologies are also given for the long time spent of the cake making in the story, and for the fact that several phrases and ideas are repeated by the characters.

**Warning: **Characters might be–or will be–out of character, and apologies are given for this in advance.

**Disclaimer: **Nurarihyon no Mago and the characters in this story belong to their respectful owner as does the song, "_Sparky Start_." The recipe for Strawberry Cream Cake also belongs to its respective owner, whoever that may be.

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_A Promise to the Moon_

….

….

_Sparky Start_

* * *

The Nura household was full of activity in the early hours of the morning, the youkai running around the house, brooms, clothing, dishes, and other things in their hands. The young Yuki-Onna was among the youkai, her hands full with laundry that needed to be hung outside to dry. She did not understand why the youkai were in such a rush today of all days, there were no meetings with the clans, nor were the other lords arriving today to visit Master Nurarihyon or the third heir. The young blue haired woman stopped in her tracks and starred up at the sky, admiring the beautiful Sakura tree that reminded her so dearly of her young master. She smiled at it and watched as the wind rustled its branches. Closing her eyes she took in a deep breath and continued walking, a cheerful smile plastered on her charming face. She began humming a sweet tune avoiding the racing youkai that ran out of rooms here and there, as well as the random youkai that seemed to pop up, out of nowhere in front of her. She continued walking, laughing at their antics, smiling the entire time.

"_Ohayou gozaimas_u, Yuki-Onna." The small youkai chorused as she passed them by, she stopped, carefully balancing the basket in her hands in one arm, she waved and smiled kindly, responding sweetly to their greeting.

"_Ohayou gozaimas_u_ minna-san_." The other youkai smiled at her and watched her walk away carrying the heavy basket in her arms.

"She is unlike any Yuki-Onna I have seen in my life, she smiles and laughs with us. Her disposition is so unlike Setsura-san's, and she is always happy to help out in anything, whether it is in battle or cleaning and cooking." One of the small youkai commented as they watched her happily walk away to continue her task.

"_Dokan des_u, she would make any man a wonderful wife, she is charming, and in time she will grow in beauty, far surpassing her mother's." Another youkai commented and looked at its companion who only nodded at what he said, they remained in silence watching her until she vanished around a corner, and then, remembering what they were doing, quickly rushed off in the opposite direction.

…..

_Mukaikaze muku fuku issun saki yosou mo dekinai_

_The way the headwind blows cannot predict anything._

…..

While they ran off to complete their assignment, Yuki-Onna continued with hers, reaching her destination quickly she then set out in hanging the clothing on the ropes that were tied to the various poles in the area. She continued hanging the clothing on the ropes, smiling the entire time, and when she finished she looked up at the sky, clasped her hands behind her back, and smiled happily. "Today will be a wonderful and peaceful day, the wind is calm, and the sunlight is warm, all in all a beautiful day." She closed her eyes as the wind blew in her direction and played with her hair, caressing it with a lover's touch, and once it passed she opened her eyes and her hair fell back covering the back of her beautiful white kimono. She picked up the empty basket by her side and made her way back to the laundry room where she deposited the basket in its usual location and then went to the kitchen, to see if she could help in any way.

When she reached the kitchen and slid the _fusuma _open, she was greeted with a warm breeze, and the delicious smell of food cooking. She watched the small youkai scurry around the kitchen and she walked over to the beautiful woman that was cutting several vegetables and begging a brown haired woman to leave the dishes and the cooking to her. Yuki-Onna laughed and when her presence and laugh registered in the minds of the kitchen's inhabitants, she was greeted by a cheerful and boisterous "_Ohayou gozaimas_u" and two exclamations of "Yuki-Onna" as she entered and slid the screen shut.

"_Ohayou gozaimas_u _minna-san_, Wakana-sama, Kejorou-san." She waved to emphasize her cheerful greeting; she then turned to the two prominent figures in the kitchen. "_Ano_…Wakana-sama, Kejorou-san, I was wondering if you would like my assistance in anything. I have finished the laundry and have set it out to dry, and therefore have nothing to do as of the moment. I was hoping there was a task either of you could give me to keep me busy."

Wakana Nura, the third heir's mother and the wife of the deceased Rihan Nura, smiled at the adorable and helpful Yuki-Onna, and brought her hand to her mouth to disguise her giggles. "Well, Yuki-Onna, there is nothing here in the kitchen that needs any immediate attention or that I cannot deal with, but I am sure that Wakana-san could use your help in cleaning the _washitsu_. Is that not so Wakana-san?" Kejorou glanced at the aforementioned woman and smiled at her.

Wakana removed her hand from her mouth and looked from Kejorou to Yuki-Onna clueless, until she realized what she had said. She clapped her hands together and smiled, laughing as she responded. "Ah, _hai_, I will be needing some assistance with that matter. The w_ashitsu_ is far too large for me to clean by myself. I hope you do not mind Yuki-Onna, I need that part of the house to be cleaned before our guests arrive."

Yuki-Onna smiled at Wakana's antics, and became instantly curious at the mention of guests. She knew, that there were no meetings with the clans today, none of the lords were arriving today, not even Zen, who arrived at the most unexpected of times. She knew he would have announced his arrival the moment he arrived, as he preferred to make an entrance when he came, the youkai rushing about trying to get his accommodations ready. Therefore, if none of the lords were visiting today and there were no meetings, who would these guests be that the youkai were in such a hurry to get the house cleaned and organized? Were the guests important members of other clans that wished to join forces with the Nura clan? On the other hand, was there going to be a celebration in the household because of some event that has happened in the past few months? Alternatively, could it be that it was someone's birthday today? However, whose birthday would it be that she was not informed? Was it Rikuo-sama's? Or Wakana-sama's? Maybe Nurarihyon-sama's?

"Is there a reason why the _washitsu _needs to be cleaned today of all days? Are there guests coming over for the evening?" The confused Yuki-Onna voiced one of her questions as she looked from both women, awaiting an answer. She received an answer, but it was far too vague for her liking.

"_Hai_, you could say that Yuki-chan." Wakana smiled and walked over to her; grabbing her wrist, she opened the _fusuma _and led her outside. "Come now Yuki-chan, let us equip ourselves for our job at hand, and clean the _washitsu _for today's special event." She wanted to ask more questions and get an actual answer out of Wakana that would satisfy her curiosity but she knew better. Despite her deeply rooted curiosity she decided not to question Wakana any further, and she knew that Kejorou or the others would not tell her either. If _Waka's Haha-ue_ refused to tell her directly, the others would follow her example and avoid her questions as best they could. She sighed in defeat and left with Wakana, walking along the _rouka _until they reached a small room where they kept all the cleaning supplies. Wakana released her wrist and began looking through the cleaning materials, handing her several buckets, which would be filled with clean water, some towels that they could use to clean the floors of the w_ashitsu_ and some bottles filled with strong smelling liquids, which surprisingly did not smell as bad as she thought they would.

"Now where in the world is that bottle…Last time I used it, I put it somewhere around here…" The Yuki-Onna looked at Wakana, as she placed the materials inside the buckets and then placed those down on the _rouka_. "Is it this bottle? _Iie_, it is not…Where could it be, it is not like it sprouted legs and ran away…Ah, I found it." Wakana exclaimed and then pulled out of the room, closing the door to it, and turning around to face the still confused Yuki-Onna, holding a bottle in her hands full of a strange transparent and colorless liquid, that looked much like water in color. "Well, now that we have everything we need to clean, why do we not make our way to the _washitsu _and start cleaning it. The faster we get there the quicker we will be able to finish our cleaning duties and then help out with the cooking." Wakana smiled at the young female youkai in front of her, the Yuki-Onna looked at her for a fraction of a second and then smiled a bright smile, nodding her head in agreement. Wakana's smile grew in length and she then turned around and started walking to the w_ashitsu_ practically beaming, with a bucket in each hand, the young Yuki-Onna following her with another two buckets in her possession.

They reached the w_ashitsu _fairly quick, with no distractions and slid open the _fusuma_ placing their buckets on the floor and observing the large area they would have to clean. "Yuki-chan you take the left and I will take the right."

"_Hai_ Wakana-sama." The Yuki-Onna chimed as she picked up her two buckets and entered the room; she quickly took her place and began to empty out the contents in the buckets. Once they were empty, she stepped out and filled them with water, quickly returning with two buckets full of water, which she preceded to place by her supplies. She then tied the sleeves of her kimono behind her back and clipped her hair and bangs, to keep them from getting wet while she cleaned. She grabbed a towel and dipped it into the bucket that contained the water and soap, and began her cleaning process. Wakana did the same, the two silently working on the w_ashitsu_, a peaceful air surrounding them, as they diligently cleaned the place. It took them an hour to finish the _washitsu_; they had managed to make the floor spotless, and the beams and flooring shined brightly under the light streaming through the opened windows, allowing the smell of the liquids they used to escape the room.

"Wakana-sama, shall we return the supplies to their respectful place, and then make our way to the kitchen and help Kejorou-san with the cooking for our guests?" The Yuki-Onna asked as she picked up the materials they had used and looked in the other woman's direction, awaiting her reply.

"_Hai_ that would be best. If Kejorou-chan gets more help she will get the cooking done in time, before our honored guest and the other guests arrive." With that, both women turned away from the cleaned room and put their materials away, walking briskly to the kitchen where they were once more greeted by Kejorou and the other youkai.

"Kejorou-san, is there anything we could help you with here in the kitchen?" The Yuki-Onna asked as she observed the little youkai running around the place carrying ingredients and bowls from place to place. She quickly stooped down and caught a small youkai who happened to trip in his rush to get some ingredients to the other side of the room. "_Daijoubu des_u _ka_?" She asked as she helped him regain his balance, the small youkai looked up at her and smiled nodding his head in the positive, "That is good to hear." She smiled once more and then stood up, looking at Kejorou expectantly, who had yet to answer her previous question.

"Ah, _hai_, I need someone to bake the cake and cut the fruits that will be placed on top of the cake, and someone who can make the frosting as the cake bakes." She responded as she stopped cutting the vegetables that she placed in the soup.

"Well, Yuki-chan and I can help with that." Wakana responded as she smiled and clapped her hands happily, Kejorou stopped, dropped her knife on the table, and the other youkai stopped in their tracks. Kejorou laughed nervously at Wakana's words, she knew that with her assisting her, they would not get much done, except maybe the complete destruction of the plates in the kitchen.

"_Arigatou_ Wakana-san, but I think Rikuo-sama wanted to see you, and talk to you about today's event. He seemed frustrated and a little nervous; from the way he was acting when he came in here."

"Oh my," she slapped her cheek lightly, "well then, I must go and find Rikuo and help him with his problems. Thank you for telling me Kejorou-chan." She smiled and then turned around, opening the door; however, before stepping out of the kitchen, she turned around, smiled at the people, and left with parting words. "Take care of yourself Yuki-chan, and do not freeze the food, today is a very special day and Rikuo wants everything to be perfect, without a hitch in his plans. _Ja ne minna-san_."

Tsurara looked at the closed door and Wakana's words kept repeating in her head, _Don't freeze the food….a very special day….Rikuo wants everything to be perfect._ She turned to Kejorou with a questioning look, hoping that the courtesan could answer her question; however, all she received was a weak smile and a shake of the head. She sighed and walked up to the small table in the corner, near the newly acquired oven and stove, and tied her kimono sleeves behind her back, sweeping her hair to the side before producing a snow clip from her kimono sleeves and clipping her hair to her head, to avoid it getting caught in the mixture. _Time to get to work._ With a determined look on her features she gathered the strawberries into a large clear bowl and went to rinse them, picking out the several bruised and rotten ones. Once she accomplished this, she walked back to her small table, and but the bowl aside, grabbing a mixing bowl and a mixing spoon to stir her mixture with once all the ingredients were gathered.

She began drawing all the other necessary ingredients checking off the materials she needed in her head. _Let me see, I have butter for greasing the pans, and I have two bags of flour, one for flouring the pan. Do I have the box of strawberry mix and a can of strawberry nectar?_ She placed the butter next to the pan as well as the flour, and she then walked over to the small cupboards to the side of where she stood, searching for said ingredients. _Ah, there they are. So, now that I have those two items, what else do I need to make Strawberry Cream Cake? I already have all the eggs I will need, although I only need three of them, but it never hurts to have extras around, in case I need to make another cake. What else do I need for the cake….Oh, I know, I almost forgot about the vegetable oil. Okay, so that is all I need for the cake, but now for the frosting. I already have the strawberries needed for this cake, and there are more where they came from, and Wakana-sama has already provided the strawberry jam….that still needs to be divided, and the container of strawberry frosting, so I have everything that is needed, now all I have to do is to prepare it._

"Okay, now to make the cake." She began to butter the pan, when she was suddenly hit with the realization that she still needed to preheat the oven. She was glad that Wakana-sama had taught her how to work those terrible new devices in the kitchen a few weeks after they had acquired them from the shop. She walked over to the oven and placed the dial at 350° Fahrenheit, having completed that task, she walked back to her station. Once she finished buttering and flouring two of the rounded cake pans, she had taken out from the cupboards, she then proceeded to mix the three eggs (which she almost dropped), the oil, and the nectar into a large bowl that she was handed, by one of the small youkai running around the kitchen.

Still terrified of using the hand mixer, she mixed the contents in the bowl herself, wishing she was as powerful as Aotabou so that she could have finished the job at a much faster pace. She continued to mix the ingredients in the bowl, her hand aching from all the force she used, she continued with her task, despite the pain, until everything in bowl was well blended. She made sure there were no air bubbles or lumps in the mixture, attacking them at once when she spotted them. She then took the bowl and brought it over to the already prepared pans, dividing the batter into the two pans evenly and with a grace that was rarely seen in her while in the kitchen. She then asked two of the small youkai watching her bake if they could assist her. When they nodded their heads enthusiastically, she gave them one of the pans and took the other in her hand, walking over to the small oven. Opening the door, she placed her pan inside and then turned to the small youkai and took the second pan off their hands, thanking them as she placed it alongside its brethren. She then closed the door and stood up, checking the time on the clock and determining when she would have to take it out in the next twenty-five or so minutes, depending on how well it cooked.

While she waited for the cake to bake she returned to her table and grabbed the bowl containing the strawberries and picked up one of the knives that was handed to her by Kejorou as she passed by her table to check on her progress. "You sure do work fast Tsurara-chan." Said girl looked at her and smiled while she received the knife.

"_Arigatou _Kejorou-san, but it is only because _Waka_ wants his plans–whatever they may be for–to be accomplished with success, and not failure, that I am working so diligently and quickly."

"Such a dedicated woman you are Tsurara-chan, you would make a great wife to our Master. I can imagine it now, the two of you happy and smiling as the days pass you by, and then you holding your first-born son in your arms as you surprise Master. And the child will be so adorable, he will have your hair color, but his father's looks, and then t–" Kejorou's speech was interrupted by the blushing snow woman, as she screamed her name out in embarrassment.

"KEJOROU-SAN!" She blushed a dark crimson red that contrasted greatly with her hair color and her personality as an ice woman. She then proceeded to pout, her blush lessening slightly as she calmed down. "_Mou_, you should not teases me so, _Waka_ does not see me in that light." She turned her gaze to her hands that held the knife, "I am only a servant who must protect her master, and besides, he has someone else who holds a position in his heart," she looked out the window that was positioned above the sink, "and it is not I who holds that position." She turned to Kejorou, a small smile on her lips, "I am fine with only serving to protect _Waka_ and his friends, it does not matter if he does not see me as a woman romantically, as long as I can protect him and serve him, I am content with my place in his _Hyakki_."

"Tsurara." Kejorou looked at the young snow woman; she knew how much the small Yuki-Onna loved her master. Her love went beyond the love a servant feels for their master, she loved him with all her heart, as a woman does a man. She knew that the young Yuki-Onna tried her hardest to express her love, while also hiding it. She was a sweet girl, easily giving her heart out to others whom her master adored, although Kana was an exception. She easily wore her heart on her sleeve and she feared that her heart would be broken if the young woman continued on the road she chose for herself. She sighed solemnly and patted the young girls head affectionately, "If you say so," with a smile directed at the young girl, she turned back to her duties and left the girl's side.

The young snow woman clutched the knife to her chest, willing her thoughts on the conversation to go away. Once they left she turned back to her work, glancing at the clock, there were still twenty-two minutes before she had to check on the cake. She grabbed the cutting board that was on the drying wrack near the sink and grabbed two cups as she returned to her table. Placing her newly acquired items on the table, she placed the cutting board in front of her and grabbed several strawberries placing them in two neat rows along the board. She picked one up and began to thinly slice them, she did this to every strawberry until she had enough to fill one and one-fourth cups, the extra strawberries she had on the board she returned to the bowl.

Looking at the time, she noticed that she had left the cake in the oven five minutes longer than necessary, quickly running to the oven, she opened it up, and tried to grab the pans, only to retract her hand away when her skin encountered the hot surface. She hissed in pain as her skin burned and then grabbed a small towel on the side of the counter and drew out one of the pans. Grabbing a small knife, she stuck it into the cake, and then withdrew it, checking to see if it came out clean. When she saw it was clean she did the same to the other one; seeing the same results, she took them out and walked them over to her table, one by one, placing them on the rack Kejorou had left on the table when she had first entered the kitchen. She left the cakes on the cooling rack and walked over to the sink where she grabbed another knife and brought it back to the table. Knowing she had to wait another twenty or so minutes for the cake to cool, she began to take her used bowls and pans to the sink, planning to wash them to keep her busy. When she finished washing them, she walked back to her table and inverted the cakes to allow them to cool completely. She then returned to the sink and dried the dishes while also putting them away. She then turned back to her table where she once more grabbed the knife and serrated it. Once it was serrated, she cut each of the cakes in half, horizontally, forming four layers for the cake.

She then proceeded to place one of cake layers on the serving platter she had prepared, with the side that was cut facing down; she then spread a third of the cup of jam over the top part of the layer. She spread a fourth of the sliced strawberries on the jam layer and then placed the second layer on top of the first. She repeated this with the third layer and fourth layer. When she placed the fourth layer on top of the third layer, she then grabbed the container of frosting and spread it evenly over the sides and the top of the cake, coating the sides completely. She then arranged the remaining strawberries in the cup on the top of the cake, making it into a flower pattern with two whole strawberries at the top, and two small leaves on either side of the strawberries. Having completed her cake, she placed it on a glass container and put it in the refrigerator, allowing it to refrigerate until the time came to serve it to the guests. The placed the remaining strawberries in the clear bowl they came from originally, and then placed a plastic wrap over it, to keep the strawberries clean.

"Kejorou-san, the cake is complete. Is there anything else that I can assist you with?" The Yuki-Onna turned to face the beautiful courtesan who stopped cooking, and turned to her with a look of concentration as she looked around the kitchen.

"Not that I know of…I think we have everything done for the occasion, you can go rest or do whatever you want to do. Thanks for all of your assistance Tsurara, you were a big help to us all." She smiled at the young girl, who gave her a bright smile in return.

"_Arigatou_ Kejorou-san. Well, then I shall be off." With that, she turned around and opened the _fusuma _before waving farewell to the other occupants of the room. Once the door was closed she set off to go and visit Kappa, or play with the smaller children like youkai that were always seeking a companion to play with. She happily walked out of the manor house and stepped outside into the gardens where she was greeted with a bright sunlight and the gentle rustling of the leaves as the wind blew through the leaves, gently creating a soothing atmosphere in the area.

...

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~Two Hours Later~

* * *

…_._

_Isshin nu sunaru kimi ni tsuitete_

_I wholeheartedly follow you_

…

She had tried visiting Kappa, but he had been nowhere in sight and her only other option was to seek out the children like youkai. However, even after finding them they refused to play, running around in a flurry of movements as they too assisted in the preparations of the celebration to take place in the manor. So, having no one to occupy her time, she returned to her room, where she locked herself up and sat on the wooden floor, starring out of the room, up at the sky, observing the way the clouds lazily moved across it. This was what she had done the past two hours, and had continued to do as time slowly trickled by.

So, when she heard her Master's voice calling out her name, she was shocked out of her musings, and in a fit of clumsiness she ended up colliding with the floor when she tried to get up off of the floor. "Yuki-Onna? Where are you?" The young woman tried to move from her embarrassing position as she heard her master's footsteps nearing her vicinity. "Yuki-Onna!"

Finally untangling her legs from her kimono, she stood up and ran to her room's entrance and yanked the screen open, completely taking her master by surprise, as he jumped in the air when he heard the resounding slam of wood meeting wood. "_Gomennasai Waka_, do you need my assistance in anything?" She smiled gently at her master, as she observed the light tint to his cheeks.

"_Hai_, I need you to….well….I was hoping….that you could…help me entertain Kana-chan when she arrives here. The preparations for her birthday are still not finished, and I was told that you had nothing to do." He paused and gave her a nervous smile before continuing with his request, "And so, I was hoping that you would be willing to take on this task. Would you be willing to do so?" He gave her one of his charming smiles, and while the young woman remained still and her face set in her sweet smile, she felt her heart sink at the mention of the human girl.

_Waka, all of this was for her? All of this hard work was for Ienaga? _Looking at the young man in front of her she knew that she could not deny him his wish, for she existed to serve him, and if she refused this task, what kind of servant would she be. "Of course Master, I would be….delighted to assist you with….Ienaga-san." Her words became lighter at the end of her statement, she felt that her heart was filled with lead, but nonetheless she smiled at her master and accepted her task like a proper servant.

"_Arigatou _Yuki-Onna." He smiled again. "She will be arriving in a few minutes, so if you could perhaps meet her at the entrance and bring her here to your room, I would be indebted to you. Please keep her company and I will come get her when everything is done." She nodded at his statement and waited for him to continue, before she left to complete her….punishment, because that was what it seemed like. "Once again Yuki-Onna, _arigatou_ from the bottom of my heart. _Ja ne._" He turned around and disappeared around a corner, leaving the poor ice maiden to her bitter thoughts.

"_Waka_…" She whispered his title so lovingly, her tone filled with a deep longing. She sighed and then took off, heading to the entrance gates, to her ultimate demise. She quickly arrived and took her post by one of the entrance doors, her hair blowing slightly with the wind, her kimono sleeves whispering with the breeze. She remained in her post, lost in thought, while still looking out for the girl she was supposed to entertain. She did not have to wait much longer as the girl who filled her master's thoughts came into view. Ienaga, Kana slowly walked to the entrance doors, looking timid and pretty in her puffy pink dress that reached her knees, a small flower clipped to her hair.

"Ienaga….-san." At the frosty voice, Kana came to a stop before the entrance and looked around until she spotted, a young girl, in a beautiful white kimono, dark blue hair, and the most guarded amber eyes she had ever seen.

"_Konnichiwa_." She nervously responded to the woman, who only nodded in her direction and then turned around, her kimono and hair moving along with her quick movements.

"Follow me, Ienaga-san, the young master wishes for you to wait for him, as he has still not completed his task."

"O-of co-ourse." She watched as the woman began to walk away, and she too followed after her when she noticed that she had already passed the gates. They continued to walk in silence as they moved through the house; the silence was uncomfortable for the human girl. "_Ano_, would you be a youkai by any chance….?"

Tsurara stopped for a split second and tensed up, before forcing herself to relax and nod in the positive to the girl's question. "A-ah, I see….Would you….happen to know where Rikuo-kun is by any chance?" Kana nervously inquired, trying to break the awkward silence between the two.

"The young master did not inform me of where he would be at the time of your arrival. But once he has completed his task, you will be able to see him."

"A-ah, okay then…."

They soon arrived at a set of _shoji _doors and the blue haired woman slid the screen open, revealing an average sized room, bare of objects, except for a futon that was tucked in the corner of the room, and a small vanity to the side. "If you would, sit for the moment and we shall wait for the young master to come and retrieve you." The woman inclined her head to a pillow in front of a small coffee table she had failed to notice when she walked in filled with warm tea and her favourite treats. It was probably the work of Rikuo; he always knew how to please her, even back then when they were children.

"Sure." She walked to the small table and sat down, observing the treats spread out before her. She smiled when she noticed a small slip of paper addressed to her from Rikuo. She giggled when she looked at it and smiled

...

* * *

_Kana-chan,_

_I hope you forgive me for not greeting you when you came to my home. I had to attend to other matters, so I hope you can overlook my absence. But I will soon return and we can hang out. For the mean time I hope you can get along with Yuki-Onna and spend time with her. I knew you would want company while you wait for me, and she is the first person that came to mind when I thought of how lonely you would be. I also left these sweets for you knowing how you love sweets, I hope this can make up for my absence and I hope that you and Yuki-Onna get along while I'm gone. She's a really sweet girl, and I'm sure you'll become great friends._

_Rikuo Nura_

* * *

"Rikuo-kun is such a sweet person. He is always thinking of others." She smiled and looked at the young woman whom Rikuo referred to as Yuki-Onna. Tsurara glanced at the human girl from the corner of her eye, as she heard her giggle and press the small note to her chest as she spoke of Rikuo. Seeing as the other girl in the room did not respond to her statement, Kana looked at the sweets and grabbed a snack, munching on the sweet dessert while rereading the letter Rikuo wrote to her, a dreamy look on her countenance. The Yuki-Onna looked away from her–remaining standing, keeping her distance from the girl and the table–and to the opened door that allowed her to view the sky, and once more her thoughts were consumed by Rikuo.

…

_Ichigo no ichinen no ta kara wo mezashite  
Aiming for the treasures of my once-in-a-lifetime encounter._

….

_Rikuo-sama, you truly care for her don't you? Every act you have made has been for her hasn't it? You unlocked your youkai abilities when she was in danger those many years ago. You accepted the position of the Sandaime of the Nura Gumi because you wanted to protect her out of all of your friends. You fight to protect her most, out of all the humans in Ukiyoe. I can never hope to hold a candle to her when it comes to you or your heart. Am I pathetic for thinking that I hold some chance with you? To think that at any moment you could look at me the way you look at her? Am I that pathetic that I hope this to be true, that I dream of this when I sleep, and I imagine you looking at me with the same affection every time I look at you and you smile at her? Rikuo-sama…Why is it that I fell in love with you? Why is it that I am such a failure, that I am so weak, that even a human can best me? She can protect you better than I can, and she has no powers whatsoever. She controls you and she is only human, I am a youkai….and yet…I have no power over anyone, or you, the man I would give my life for in order to make his dreams come true._

Tsurara was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard footsteps thudding on the floor and her screen flew open, revealing a slightly panting Rikuo to both female occupants of the room. Kana jumped at the sight of her beloved friend and ran to him to embrace him. "Rikuo-kun. I am so glad to see you."

"Kana-chan." The young man whispered her name as he held her closer to his body, hoping to make the moment last longer, before he pushed away to look at his friend, whom he observed looked absolutely stunning in her pink dress. "You look….beautiful Kana-chan."

The girl blushed and thanked him before they both walked out of the room together, completely forgetting about the other presence in the room that held such sorrow in her heart as she observed them. She sighed and closed her eyes as she held her chest and sunk to the ground, her legs unable to hold her up. She couldn't help but laugh at herself as the scene replayed in her mind. How many times had she dreamt of him holding her as he did the human? How many times had she dreamt of him gazing at her the same way he did the human, with such a loving and tender look in his eyes?

…_..  
Ashita kuruette mo tomaranai yume no dato nari  
Even if tomorrow turns amiss, or if this really were just a dream._

_Zenshin mikkou tabi wa itsudemo_

_Even if we put our hearts into a secretive journey…_

…_.._

Her tears silently fell as she gazed at nothing in particular and delved deeper in her mind, her dreams playing out in her mind's eye. Scenes of Rikuo holding her hand when he was a child, as he pouted at her. The scene then changed to one of where he had held her to him, when she had become injured in one of their battles. She remembered feeling completely protected in his embrace despite the danger they were both in. Her heart had beat so loudly that she had feared he could hear it, and she had held onto his _haori_ as he had tightened his hold on her. The scene then switched to one of where she stood in front of the Sakura tree her master loved so dearly, the moon at its peak, and then she released a gasp when she felt strong arms wrap around her waist loosely. She felt a masculine chest against her back, and could feel the warm breath on her neck and the arms tightened around her. She heard the male that held her chuckle before she felt him lay a kiss to the side of her neck, eliciting a soft gasp from her.

Tsurara shook her head, dispelling her visions and she looked down at her hands, her tears continuing to flow down her cheeks. "Will you ever love me as you do her? Will I ever hold a special place in your heart, like she does? Will you ever see me and not her?" She released a shaky sigh before hissing in anger, "_Kami-sama_ I am a pathetic being. Weak. Pitiful. No wonder he will never look at me." A sob racked her frame, "_Kami_, how I want him to see only me."

She stood from her seated position and quickly wiped her tears, before once more taking a sigh to calm her frazzled nerves. "There is no point in me crying over spilt milk. I must be strong and assist the others in the celebration. It will make _Waka_ happy, and that is all that matters."

She left her room and made her way the w_ashitsu_ where she heard loud noises coming from, and observed from the opened doors as her master's friends all gathered together and sang happy birthday to Kana. Her master remained by her side, holding her hand as he watched her blow out her candles and smile at the others thanking them for coming. The Yuki-Onna decided she would rather not intrude on their celebrations and instead settled for observing them as they continued with their celebrations, from afar. She observed how Kana remained glued to her master's side, clinging to him and pouting every time he tried to remove her from him, when the others asked him for assistance to move things from one place to another. The girl was so clingy and her master still adored her. Had she been in her master's place she would have frozen the girl and been rid of her, but she was not her master and he was different. He was too kind to hurt anyone, especially his beloved _Kana-chan_.

The Yuki-Onna continued observing the events well into the night, a statue hidden in the darkness. All of the other humans had left and the only people remaining were her master and the Ienaga girl. She watched them step out of the _washitsu_ and walk around the gardens near the Sakura tree. They laughed as they continued talking, and when they came to the tree, they both stopped before it and Rikuo caught a Sakura in his hands and glanced at the girl by his side. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her radiant smile that was directed at him, and only him. He observed her lips as they twisted into a smile, before parting to speak.

"_Ano_….Rikuo-kun, I hope you don't mind….but could I see your other half." She blushed as she looked at their entwined hands. "I wish to speak with him…and spend some time together. I hope you don't take it as an offense, but I would like to see him. Could you please do this for me, for my birthday?"

….

_Zenshin zenrei ENGINE zenkai  
With all my heart and soul, and my engine at full throttle,_

_Zettai kimi wo mamoru_

_I will definitely protect you,_

…

Rikuo looked at her, his heart felt a pang when she mentioned wanting to see his other half. He wanted to tell her that he could not go through with her wish, but he could not deny her this, especially not today of all days. He smiled at her, and closed his eyes, concentrating on the _youki_ of his other half. Once he felt it respond to him, he felt a heat course through his body and felt as his other subconscious took over his body as it changed. When he opened his eyes, he was looming over Kana, in his traditional clothing, and he watched as Kana smiled happily, a dark blush spreading across her cheeks. He observed as his night-self smirked at her and brought their hands up to his lips and kissed her knuckles.

"_Konbanwa_,_ Kana-chan_." He purred as he continued to look at the dazed female his human-self seemed to adore so much. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" He gave her a winsome smile and watched as her blush darkened to a bright red.

"I….I….w-wan-anted to se-see you-u….Rikuo-kun." Kana looked at him and then avoided his eyes, thinking that if she looked at him any longer she would be lost in his red eyes that seemed to swallow her every time she looked into their depths. "S-Since it's my birthd-day and a-all-l."

Night Rikuo's smirk only grew in length at her last sentence. "I see. Then I must give you a gift for such a special occasion, _ne_?" With that said he placed the Sakura in his hand on her hair, and caressed her cheek lovingly, causing her to close her eyes at his tender attentions. He leaned down as he saw her close her eyes and he smirked as he heard the panicked voice of his other half.

_W-what are you doing?_

_Relax Rikuo. Just sit back and observe_. He quickly cut their mental connection and looked at the girl before him. He released a low chuckle and gave her a quick peck on the lips. Kana gasped as she felt soft lips on hers and opened her eyes when the sensation vanished as quickly as it had come. She glanced, dazed, at the Rikuo before her. He still had his confident smirk on his lips and his eyes held amusement as he looked at her. Kana couldn't help but blush even more at his attentions to her.

…_.._

_Donna ni sukuwaru doushite mo  
No matter how many times I have to save you._

_Zettai nani ka nai sa_

_You won't have to worry about a thing._

_Chikara wo gyutto sou wo  
Cling tightly onto my strength._

….

Meanwhile, unknown to both, a Yuki-Onna looked on with hidden sorrow, her heart shattering as she observed her master kiss the human female. She had hoped that his other half did not hold any feelings for Ienaga. But it seemed that she was harshly mistaken, both halves of her master loved the girl and there was nothing she could do to change this fact. Her eyes filled with crystalline tears, but she refused to let them fall, she would no longer pine after her master, no, this night, this _nightmare_, proved to her that she had no hope with her master. And so, she would no longer hope in vain that her master would direct his feelings for the human towards her, no, no longer will she remain her weak hearted self. She will change; she will make sure that she can protect her master, and not become a burden to him. He will have enough on his plate protecting the human girl; he did not need another being to protect, another burden to add to his conscience. _I will become strong for you Waka so that you may be able to protect the Nura Gumi, your precious loved ones…and Ienaga. I will assist you in this matter, even if it tears me apart._

"I promise _Waka_, that from this day on I will protect you and your precious people…..even if it means protecting Ienaga….I will make sure you never have to protect me. From this day forth I will protect everything you cherish with all of my power, even if it means death. I will make you proud to call me your servant, even if you never care for me the way I want you to care for me. You will be able to rely on me for strength and not the other way around." She slowly rose from her position and walked away leaving the two together, her heart still weeping from her wound. As she walked away from the heartbreaking scene, a tear fell from her cheek. _I will hold these feelings forever in my heart. Never will I let them show through again. I will become a true Yuki-Onna and throw away all emotions that I have held in my heart for so long. I will become the embodiment of ice. I will no longer follow you Waka as a love sick puppy, no; I will follow you as a dedicated servant who only wants her master's safety and not his affection._

As the young Yuki-Onna made her resolve in the darkness of the night, the other two occupants of the garden remained in a blissful happiness. Kana was ecstatic. _Rikuo-kun….Rikuo-kun kissed me. He kissed me. Does this mean that he loves me? Or was he teasing me? _She looked up at the night form's face, and saw his smile. _No, Rikuo-kun would never tease me like this, no matter which half of him is in control. He would never toy with another's emotions, he is not like other youkai, and he is kind and gentle. And he will always be that way. He will always be my Rikuo-kun. _She smiled at him and tightened her hold on their entwined hands, and stepped closer to him, leaning against his frame. _My Rikuo-kun…how I love you so dearly._

Rikuo, meanwhile, as Kana had been lost in thought had felt a _youki_ in the vicinity that seemed familiar to him; it glided against his skin with a smooth silky texture, and left behind a chilling sensation on his skin, as if ice were forming on his body. It reminded him so much of Tsurara when she was upset or nervous, but he had not seen the beautiful Yuki-Onna for hours now. The last time he had seen Tsurara had been when his other half had requested that she keep Kana company while he completed his _task_. And now that he thought about it, when he had retrieved Kana he had not even bothered to see if she had kept Kana entertained, but he had no need to check. Tsurara was a devoted young girl and she would have completed her task without any complaints or complications. Nevertheless, it bothered him how he could brush her aside like a toy that had lost its value for a brand new toy. He had ignored her very presence when he had retrieved the human girl, and he felt horrible about his actions. She was loyal to him and did whatever he asked of her without question and then he goes and ignores her whenever Kana is around him. He understands that his human self loves the girl, but the boy's affections for the human cause him so much trouble. He suffers the impulses of going to her rescue or checking up on her whenever he takes over for his other half and the boy thinks of Kana. How much will this girl affect his life, his actions?

He tried to identify the _youki _but when he felt it brush against his _youki_, he felt an electric shock. The _youki_ had attacked him! He had tried to identify the aura and it attacked him! Moreover, the attack was not one due to surprise or a reaction to his foreign _youki_. No, it was a response that was induced by the owner of said _youki_. Whoever the being was, they were furious and despairing from what he felt. The shock had felt like he was being consumed by fire on the outside and being frozen from the inside…and he could not shake off the feeling that this _youki_, this familiar _youki_, belonged to his dear Yuki-Onna, whom he had brushed aside not long ago. _Could this truly be you Tsurara? Could you really react this way to my youki? Past experience tells me that you would not. So, why are you reacting to my youki this way? Could you be injured? Angry at someone? At me? _Just as the thought of searching for her entered his mind, he felt a warm and feminine body pressed against his and arms encircling his waist, as Kana stepped closer to him. He looked at her, thoughts of Tsurara leaving as quickly as they had appeared, Tsurara's figure replaced by Kana's as she stood before him under the moon and the swirling Sakura petals. "Kana…" He whispered her name as she gazed so lovingly up at him, her eyes sparkling with a childish innocence that only she could ever hold (aside from Tsurara, who acted the part).

"Rikuo-kun…..a_rigatou gozaimas_u for everything you have done for me. I am glad that you remembered my birthday and were willing to comply with my wishes to see your other half. I'm glad I was able to spend time with you, together, by ourselves. I am glad to know you Rikuo-kun. _Arigatou gozaimas_u Rikuo-kun, from the bottom of my heart." With that she leaned closer to him and tiptoed, placing her lips against his in a chaste and innocent kiss. "_Osaki ni _Rikuo-kun. I am glad to have spent today with you and everyone else." She turned and walked away from him, and then turned and whispered a cheerful goodbye as she ran out of the Nura household. He remained frozen in his spot as he watched her run off, and once his mind could function he ran after her. He could not possibly allow her to walk to her home alone at such a late hour and at such a dark time. By the time he had caught up to her he saw as she entered a car and, before closing the door, she waved at him and the car drove off, with her in it. She was heading back home to celebrate the rest of her birthday with her family.

"_Ja ne_, Kana-chan." He remained outside until the car drove beyond his range of sight, and with a quick glance at the stars that decorated the cobalt night; he turned around and returned to his favourite spot in his family's garden. His thoughts preoccupied by Kana, the problem of Tsurara's hostile _youki _forgotten, erased by the image of his beautiful brown haired angel.

* * *

~ ... ~ ... ~

* * *

She had felt as her master's _youki _washed over her own. She felt calmed when she felt it brush against hers so gently, with a lover's caress. However, remembering her resolve, she flared her own _youki_. Her anger and grief manifesting itself in her _youki_, and she felt as his retreated quickly from hers. She sighed in relief when she felt it vanish, but her heart pulsed with her pain, even now, without trying he was hurting her. She felt betrayed. She was furious and wanted nothing to do with him, but she was not stupid. She knew this was her fault, and that her anger was not directed at him, but at herself because of her moronic naïveté. She allowed herself to fall irrevocably in love with her master, her affections for him evolving from a sisterly love to those of a woman. She went from his caretaker to one of his pursuers. If she had not entertained romantic ideas of the two of them together, she knew this would not be happening but she was too naïve, too innocent in her ways. She never once thought that her master would never love her beyond a friend; she thought she had a chance of being with him, of besting the retched human girl who consumed his every thought and claimed his very heart.

Tears fell from her eyes as she ran to her room; she no longer cared if anyone saw her in her current state. All that she wanted at the moment was to be swallowed up and whisked away from this nightmare she lived constantly, day in and day out. Her tears blurred her vision and her very soul shook from the pain of her heartbreak, all she wanted was to run to her master and cry out her pain to him, but how could she do this if he was the cause of her pain. She could go to Kejorou but she did not want to see any of her friends in fear that they would relate her troubles and insecurities to her master. At a time like this she wished her mother were still alive, maybe Setsura would have been able to console her and help her with her heartbreak. However, her mother was not present in the world of the living, she died trying to protect her masters, and her heartbreak did not help her resolve in her last battle.

A pained laugh escaped her lips as she thought of her mother. "I'm so pathetic. _Haha-ue_ went through the same experience, and I learned nothing from it. I lost her because of her grief, because of her heartache. Will I suffer the same fate as she did? Will I sacrifice my happiness for the happiness of my master?" A soft sob escaped her lips and she covered her mouth with her hands, as her tears continued to fall. _Haha-ue, how I wish you could be here with me. I need your presence…I am too weak to deal with this on my own. I will never be able to suffer this in silence as you did. Why did we, and why do we, continue to suffer for our unrequited love? I miss the days where my only love for master was that of a devoted sister. Those days were carefree and I….I was able to protect master and watch over him without these retched emotions coming to the surface and controlling my every action. However….however, now he no longer needs me, I am another nuisance to him in battle. I am worthless as a being and as a servant._

By the time she reached her room, she was about ready to collapse. She quickly entered her room and leaned against the wall, sliding down its length as more tears fell and her body shook from the strength of her sobs. "Rikuo-sama…." She whispered his name with such longing and such grief that anyone listening to her cry would have shed tears. She curled into herself, bringing her knees up to her chest, clasping her hands together above her knees, and then laying her head on top of her clasped hands. "Someone, anyone, please…make it stop, end it. Take this unbearable pain away, remove my heart from my body, destroy my _humanity_," the word was hissed out in loathing, "and turn me into a true _youkai_. Just make it all disappear."

…_.  
Omoikkiri suittan da_

_The world that has absorbed,_

_Hateshinai sekai_

_Resolution and taken no risks._

…..

The young female remained in her position, tears continuously flowing from her amber eyes, her body shaking with the pain. As her tears continued to flow, her emotions raw only thought continued to prevail in her consciousness: Alone. _I have lost….I cannot hold a place in his heart, I can only have a position in his Hyakki, but one being alone dominates his heart. He loves her and will follow her no matter where she might be…whereas I…I will follow him to the ends of the earth; however, he will not follow me. Alone. That is all that I am. Just like Haha-ue, I will never receive the love of the one I desire most, but I will be strong and will remain by him until I meet my end._

In her mind, she can imagine him chasing after the human female, a smile adorning his aristocratic features, and in the meantime, she is left behind. She will run after him, her hands attempting to grasp at the small ribbons of sentiment that were once present when he was younger, and she was his attendant. He would smile at her, play mischievous deeds on others, and he would always reach out for her hand. Those were happier moments in her life, when she was truly needed, and not just a hindrance to him. As he continues to chase after the human female, she will be left behind, to pick up the pieces of a shattered illusion, to bury the memories of a child, and face the reality that the world is not built upon childish dreams and sentiments.

…..

_STARS AND SPACE TIME TRIP!_

_Dounen kyou wo nozoku CHARISMA ikura agari_

_By peeking through the telescope, you will gain an insurmountable amount of charisma!_

_Furueru namida nami ni_

_As tears, continue to rain down as waves,_

…..

_However….that was back then right Waka? Before you met your human friends, you were never far from me, I would always be a step behind you, always running after you, but I would always catch you in the end. Yet, now….now, you no longer need me. You can protect yourself. You kept your promise to me. You did become a strong and charismatic leader who is able to protect those most precious to his heart. I cannot count the many times you have had to save me, but then again it was not just me whom you had to save, but others as well. You have always gone out of your way to protect your Hyakki, but it was not we who changed your mind and convinced you to become the leader of the Nura Gumi. Iie, it was neither the Ichidaime nor I; rather it was Ienaga, Kana. Your desire to protect her is what has led to the power you have attained today, she is your inspiration, your reason to fight, the catalyst to your rise in the world of youkai._

An involuntary gasp escaped her lips as her sobs continued to wrack through her body. Slowly, with what appeared much difficulty, she moved her head to the side, her cheek now resting on her clasped hands, and looked at the moon beyond the walls of the Nura mansion. The moon stood alone in the backdrop of the sky, a pale monolith that stood as the witness to her resolve. As she gazed at it, she could not help but give a bitter smile as she remembered her _Haha-ue_'s words, back when she was still a child, as she gazed in wonder at the moon. Her tears grew in number, cascading down her pale cheeks in waves, as a childhood memory played out before her very eyes.

* * *

~ Flashback ~

* * *

"_Haha-ue_, why is the moon alone?" A small feminine voice speaks up in the darkness of the room, as she turns her curious eyes to her resting mother. The woman in question, slightly lifted her head to glance at her daughter, a small and pained smile gracing her lips as she beckoned her daughter to her side. The young girl, dressed in a pale white kimono brighter than the pale light of the moon, crawled forward towards the resting woman.

"Well, my dear _musume_, the reason why the moon is lonesome has to do with the story of _Amaterasu-omikami_ and the _Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto_. You see, _Amaterasu-omikami_ had sent _Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto_ to represent her at a feast held by _Uke Mochi_, who was the goddess of food. _Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto_ gladly accepted to represent his sister and attended the feast; however, _Uke Mochi_ made the feast in the most vulgar of ways that repulsed _Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto_. Due to his disgust, _Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto_ took the life of _Uke Mochi_ and returned to _Takamagahara, _the Plain of Heaven, where he was greeted by the furious _Amaterasu-omikami_. She was enraged by his actions towards _Uke Mochi_ that she refused to lay eyes on _Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto_ and moved to another place in the skies; she no longer wanted to be near _Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto_ and thus the moon and sun are never in one place at the same time."

Setsura looked at her daughter who was gazing at the moon in sadness. "_Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto-sama_ must have felt so much pain _Haha-ue_." She turned to look at her mother, tears gracefully trailing down her cheeks, as she brought her hands to her eyes and rubbed at them. Setsura smiled at her daughter and brought her closer to her, slowly sitting up, wincing from the pain of her wounds, and clasped her daughter's hands, lowering them to her lap as she rubbed her tears away.

"Don't cry my little icicle." She leaned forward and placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead.

"_Doushite des_u _ka? Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto-sama_ can never be with his sister. It is not fair. He can no longer see her because she was so angry with him and still does not want to look at him."

"That may be true, my sweet child, but I have yet to finish my tale." At her words, her daughter glanced at her, a pleading look in her eyes. She smiled and cupped her cheek as her voice rang out in the darkness of the room. "Tell me Tsurara, when you look at the sky in the morning light, do you not always see a white figure facing towards the sun?" She paused and watched as her daughter thought about the question and then slowly nodded her head. "You see that silent white figure, faded in its outline and color, is _Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto_. The sun faces away from the moon, but the moon watches after the sun, always accompanying it in the daylight hours. When night falls, the sun flees the skies to escape the domain claimed by the moon. The sun will never know that the moon is by its side during the day, protecting it as it turns its back to it. In addition, the moon will never be alone, as you see the stars are always present in the night sky even when they are hidden, they are a connection to the sun. They shine so brightly and keep the moon company. So in reality the moon is never alone, it will always have a companion to keep the loneliness at bay." She smiled gently at her daughter whose eyes were beginning to close, as her breathing began to slow.

…

_NEVER STOP!_

…

"So…._Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto-sama_….is never…..alone? He will…..always have…..company." She gave her mother a sleepy smile as she once more looked at the moon. "I….am glad….._Haha-ue_?"

"_Hai_ my dear."

"I want to make….a promise to you and….._Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto-sama_."

"Of course my dear what is that promise?"

"_Haha-ue_….I promise that I will make you proud to have me as a daughter. I will protect those I love with all my power and….." A yawn broke her speech as she struggled to fight against the darkness that invaded her vision, as her body surrendered itself to sleep. "I promise that I will….keep _Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto-sama_ company forever….I will never abandon him." Setsura watched as her daughter's breathing slowed down and she fell asleep, a smile painting her features in radiant light that was accompanied by the rays of the moon.

…

_YOUR PACE sareta hoshi wa toki hanatsu tame_

_You were given your pace to release those stars!_

_Kimi to tabi ni deau_

_I will meet you amidst this journey_

_Tsuki ga asu e michibiku  
Where the guidance of the moon takes you towards tomorrow!_

…..

"You can never disappoint me Tsurara." She brushed away her bangs and placed another kiss on her daughter's forehead, as she placed her beside her on her _futon_. "I am glad you will keep him company. He has kept me company all these years, and has witnessed all of my heartbreak as Nurarihyon-sama took a lover. He has heard all of my pleas, seen all of the tears I have shed for a man who cannot love me as I love him." She glanced away from her daughter's slumbering face to the moon that stood, as a witness to her daughter's childish promise. "Just as my daughter has made a promise to you, I will make a request of her, under your light." She looked at her daughter once more, "If you fall in love with a man, my dear _musume_, and he does not return your feelings, surrender him. If he has another in his heart, lock away your sentiments for him. I do not want you to suffer the same pain as I, due to my unrequited love for Nurarihyon-sama. Please, do not allow your heart to be ripped away from you and trampled upon, as if it were nothing but dirt. Be strong, as I was not, and remember, even when I am gone, I will always be looking after you. I will be the essence of your power and I will ensure that your heart remains in tack despite everything that happens to you."

She stood up from her futon and covered her daughter in her blankets. Still kneeling beside her daughter's side, she reached into her _sode_ and took out a gold dragon shaped _bira-bira kanzashi, _dusted in small particles of ice. She brought it to her lips and placed a kiss on it, before placing it in her daughter's small hands that tenderly held onto the delicate hair ornament. In her sleep, she remained oblivious to her _Haha-ue_'s parting tears, as she walked out of her room, to join the _Ichidaime's Hyakki Yako_, as they set out to war.

...

* * *

~ End Flashback ~

...

"_Haha-ue_…that day….that very same day I lost you. You left me in the night, with a parting gift, and a heart-breaking tale. In my sleep-fogged mind, I heard your parting words, but I was so far gone in my sleep that I was unable to grasp the meaning of your words. If I had been awake I might have been able to stop you from leaving me, from going to the war that ripped you away from me." Her hands that had once been clasped above her knees, reached into her s_ode _in a semblance of Setsura's actions those many years before, and pulled out the hair ornament left behind by Setsura as an heirloom.

In her trembling hands, the _kanzashi_ tinkled, and shone under the light of the moon, that illuminated the ice particles on it, making them shine as if they were millions of stars on the dragon's body. She held it up to the moonlight and watched it continue to sparkle in an innocent fashion, and she could do nothing but smile as she held it towards the light.

"You were the heirloom left to me by my _Haha-ue_. You were an object that as a child I desired to hold in my hands so much, but that _Haha-ue _said that I was too young to understand your value. However, that day when you were left clasped in my hands, your value lost all of its meaning. You had no true value before, not in the way of which I thought. _Iie_, your value was beyond that of money. You held the memories of all those _Haha-ue _held dear to her. You were the constant companion to her as she fought in battles, you were witness to every pledge she made. You were a symbol that gave her light when she lost all hope." She gently caressed the dangling crystals that hung from it, as memories of her mother played in her mind.

"Now, you are a symbol for me. You represent the aspirations and despairs of my _Haha-ue_. You are the last connection that I have to her, and you are the gift that she left to me to ensure that I never lost faith in my life. She and I suffered and suffer from the same fate, but I will make sure that I make her proud and fight for my heart. I may not be able to hold the love I desire from the man I love, but I can ensure that my _Haha-ue_'s wish to keep my heart intact will be accomplished. I will make sure that the journey I have embarked on will not end in tragedy as that of _Haha-ue_'s. I know she would not desire the fate she received onto me. I will go at my own pace and make her proud. I will protect that which I cherish with all of my strength. Under the light of the moon and the protection of _Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto-sama,_ I promise that from this day forth I will become stronger."

_Yes, everyone's life is a journey, and each one of us has a certain pace in which we must take to reach our destination. Rikuo-sama has taken a different path than I and he has gotten so much further than I have on his journey. However, no matter how far ahead you are of me, I will meet you on your journey, and ensure that you reach your destination without fail. I will protect everything you cherish, because what you cherish is what I cherish, even if I have to learn how to cherish some of the things you love. With the moon as my witness I promise that I will never have you come to my rescue ever again, instead you will be able to rely on me wholeheartedly to protect those whom you wish to protect._

_Even if you cannot love me Rikuo-sama, I will not pine after you as I have all these years. Even if you leave me behind, I will never be alone. Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto-sama and Haha-ue will always be with me. If I cannot become your sun, your light in the darkness, then I can become like the moon and watch over you silently, just like Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto-sama watches over Amaterasu-omikami._

…_.  
YOUR PACE sareta hoshi wa toki hanatsu tame_

_You were given your pace to release those stars!_

_Kimi to tabi ni deau_

_I will meet you amidst this journey_

_Tsuki ga asu e michibiku  
Where the guidance of the moon takes you towards tomorrow!_

After having left Kana, Rikuo had made his way to his favourite _Sakura no ki_, and perched himself on its branches, gazing at the moon as it shone down on the world. He leaned back, rested his head on the bark of the tree, and fingered the silken petals, enjoying the texture and the smell that surrounded him. The entire night he remained in the tree, awake and alert for any danger in the town. While he remained tensed and ready for battle, the tree swayed with the caress of the wind as it passed through the branches and removed some of the blossoms from the branches. Airborne the blossoms floated on the wind, before landing on the smooth waters of the pond in the house, causing gentle ripples to break the surface, creating concentric circles.

_The moon. Powerful and a symbol of light to all youkai, a symbol of power to me. During the day, I am sealed away, but at night, I reign supreme, I can do as I please and grow in power. Moreover, with the power I attained I am able to protect my Hyakki and those precious to me from harm. The moon is my source of power and the reason why I can protect everyone with all of my strength. I can protect Kana-chan from danger. _A tender smile curved his lips as his thoughts drifted from power to his most precious person, Ienaga, Kana.

* * *

...

* * *

**End Note: **Apologies are made if Tsurara was out of character, but to serve the purpose of the story it was needed of her to be different from the Tsurara that is portrayed in the manga and anime. I am unsure of whether to leave this as a one-shot or make it into a multi-chaptered story. I would be happy to hear what others think of the story and whether I should end it here or continue it. Feedback would be helpful, and so would criticisms, as long as they are helpful and not just flames because those are annoying, as I am sure many authors agree. If any mistakes were made on my part, I would appreciated it if someone could point them out, we are all human and are prone to overlook our mistakes, especially when it comes to writing as we know what we want to say and tend to overlook the smallest of mistakes, while others notice it right away. Thank you for taking your time in reading this and I apologize for its length and constant repetitions.

**Side Note: **I still hate "Insert Horizontal Line" button. I loathe you with a passion.

_Tsukuyomu_

_...  
_

* * *

**Glossary of Japanese Terms:**

_**Youkai**__ – Demon_

_**Yuki-Onna**__ – Snow Woman_

_**Ohayou gozaimas**_**u** – _Good morning_; another form of greeting

_**Minna-san**__ – Everyone_

_**Dokan des**_**u**_ – I agree_

_**Ano**__ – _Typically used as a way to say excuse me (from what I have read).

_**Hai**__ – Yes;_ a sign of confirmation

_**Waka**__ – Master _(a title always used by Tsurara to refer to Rikuo)

_**Haha-ue**__ – Mother_ (one's own); unlike _**Okaa-san**_, this is a much formal way of addressing one's mother.

_**Iie**__ – No; _a negative affirmation

"_**Daijoubu des**_**u **_**ka**_**?"** – Are all right?

_**Fusuma**_ – Vertical, rectangular panels that can slide from side to side to redefine spaces within a room or act as doors

_**Shōji**_ – is a door, window, or room divider consisting of translucent paper over a frame of wood, which holds together a lattice of wood or bamboo.

_**Washitsu**_ – Usually have _**fusuma**_ rather than hinged doors between rooms. They may have _**shōji**_ and, if the particular room is meant to serve as a reception room for guests, it may have a _**tokonoma**_ (alcove for decorative items). For my story, I altered several aspects of the **w**_**ashitsu**_ to fit the needs of the events in the story.

_**Rouka**_ – Wooden floored passages that are similar to hallways and are partitioned by _**shōji**_, sliding and portable doors that are also made from paper and wood.

_**Genkan**_ – Traditional Japanese entryway areas, the primary function of _genkan_ is for the removal of shoes before entering the main part of the house or building.

_**Ja ne**__ – Farwell/Good bye; _used when bidding farewell to someone you will not see afterwards and is used between friends; if you wish to bid goodbye to a person but plan on seeing them later, the proper term used should be **"**_**Ja, mata,**_**"** which means "See you later/Until later." You may also use **"**_**Dewa mata**_**"** but is an informal way of saying goodbye, unlike the formal way, **"**_**Sayonara**_**."**

_**Arigatou**__ – Thank you._

_**Mou**__ – _Not too sure, what this means, but I just assign it to a certain sound a character makes when they are frustrated or pouting.

_**Hyakki (Yako)**__ – Night Parade of One Hundred Demons_

_**Ichidaime –**_ _First Head_

_**Sandaime – **__Third Head_

_**Gomennasai**_– _I apologize; Excuse me; (I am) Sorry_

_**Konnichiwa**__ – Greetings; Hello; Hi_

_**Nura Gumi**__ – Nura Clan_

_**Haori**__ – _is a hip or thigh-length kimono-like jacket that adds formality to an outfit.

_**Kami (sama)**__ – God _– Japanese term used to refer to deities in general

_**Konbanwa**__ – Good evening_

_**Ne**__ – _A suffix added at the end of a sentence, usually to make it appear to be a question.

_**Youki**__ – _The aura or energy that a demon possesses.

_**Osaki ni**__ – Farewell/Good night _– it is used when one is leaving the presence of another and is another means of saying good night, however if one is going to bed and wishes to say goodnight, the proper term would be **"**_**Oyasuminasai**_**."**

_**Musume**__ – Daughter _(one's own)

_**Amaterasu-omikami**__ – _Is the Goddess of the Sun in Shinto and Japanese Mythology.

_**Tsukuyomi-no-mikoto (-sama)**__ – _Is the God of the Moon in Shinto and Japanese Mythology.

_**Takamagahara**__ – _Is the Plain of High Heaven and is a place in Japanese mythology. In Shinto, _**Takama-ga-hara**_(or_**Takama no Hara**_) is the dwelling place of the kami. It is believed to be connected to the Earth by the bridge _**Ama-no uki-hashi**_ (the "Floating Bridge of Heaven").

_**Uke Mochi – **_Is the Goddess of Food in Japanese Mythology.

"_**Doushite des**_**u **_**ka?" – Why?**_

_**Sode**_– Kimono sleeve

_**Bira-bira**_ – Are _**kanzashi**_ composed of metal strips attached by rings to the body of the ornament so that they move independently, pleasantly tinkling (which is sometimes accentuated by additional bells) or long chains of silk flowers called _**shidare**_.

_**Kanzashi**_ – are hair ornaments used in traditional Japanese hairstyles

_**Sakura no ki **_– Sakura tree

**-chan** – is a diminutive suffix; it expresses that the speaker finds a person endearing. In general, _**chan**_ is used, but is not limited to, babies, young children, grandparents, and teenage girls. It may also be used towards cute animals, lovers, close friends, any youthful woman, or even between friends. It can be used for males in some circumstances, but in general, this use is rather condescending or intimate. Using _**chan**_ with a superior's name is considered condescending and rude.

**-san** – is the most commonplace honorific, and is a title of respect typically used between equals of any age. Although the closest analog in English are the honorifics "Mr.", "Miss", "Mrs.", or "Ms.", _**san**_ is almost universally added to a person's name, in both formal and informal contexts. However, in addition to being used with people's names, it is also employed in a variety of other ways. _**San**_ can also be attached to the names of animals or even inanimate objects.

**-kun** – is used by persons of senior status in addressing or referring to those of junior status, or by anyone when addressing or referring to male children or male teenagers. Females when addressing a male that they are emotionally attached to or have known for a long period can also use it. Although _**kun**_ is generally used for boys, that is not a hard rule.

**-sama** – is a markedly more respectful version of _**san**_. It is used mainly to refer to people much higher in rank than oneself, toward one's customers, and sometimes toward people one greatly admires. When used to refer to oneself, _**sama**_ expresses extreme arrogance (or self-effacing irony), as with _**ore-sama**_ ("my esteemed self").


	2. A Day in the Life of a YukiOnna

**Author's Note:** This is the second attempt at writing a story, and therefore, it will still be horrible like the first, as it takes time for improvement. Apologies are given in advance for the quality of the work and the change in the characters, if any occurs. Apologies are also given for the fact that the characters repeat several phrases and ideas.

**Warning: **Characters might be–or will be–out of character, and apologies are given for this in advance.

**Disclaimer: **Nurarihyon no Mago and the characters in this story belong to their respectful owner, although the story line belongs to me.

**Note: **This chapter really has no real importance to the story plot, but I felt that it was needed to lighten the mood for a bit. There is no need for Tsurara to act out of character despite her heartbreak. In my opinion, Tsurara is a strong female, and would resemble her mother is a way. She would not allow one heartbreak to change her; rather she would rise from it and strive to be stronger, and would hide her heartbreak behind smiles and a cheerful disposition. Therefore, you can say that this chapter serves the purpose of comic relief and to make the reader anticipate the next chapter. On that note, please enjoy the chapter.

* * *

_A Promise to the Moon_

…

…..

_A Day in the Life of a Yuki-Onna_

…

…

* * *

In the early hours of the morning, as the Nura household remained slumbering, consumed in peaceful slumber, and submerged in dreams of the heart's desires, a figure remained tormented by events of the previous night. All members of the _Nura Gumi_ remained oblivious to the tears that had been shed by one of their comrades, nor were they aware of the promise that was made to a _Kami_ and the spirit of a deceased loved one. Throughout the entirety of the night, those of the _Nura Gumi_ had not once heard the heart-wrenching sobs of the broken Yuki-Onna. Not once had her fellow comrades visited her, and it had occurred to her that throughout the celebration last night, she had not seen hide or tail of the rest of the _Nura Gumi_. The only members she had seen last night were Rikuo-sama and his friends, Wakana-sama, Kejorou-san, and at some point in time she had caught a glimpse of Nurarihyon-sama before he had disappeared to who knows where.

_It was for the best, even if company would have been a comfort last night._ The young Yuki-Onna slowly moved her head from side to side, as she lifted it above her clasped hands. She had remained in the same position last night up until then, unable to sleep as thoughts ran rampant in her mind, shifting from happy childhood memories to dreams that were unattainable to remnants of the events from last night. They always ended the same, a picture of Rikuo holding Kana close to him as he gave her the most winsome smile, a soft and tender look in his red eyes. Shaking her head to dispel her thoughts she slowly rose from her position, or attempted to, as her legs gave out. They were numb from having remained in the same position for hours on end, her arms were no better as they were sore from having been bent and pressed close to her body as she had cried her tears. She released a soft hiss of pain and attempted several more times to get up, but she received the same end results, at her failed attempts at standing, coupled with her emotional drain last night, she did the only thing she could do at the moment. She glared at her legs, silently threatening them in her mind to regain sensation, but when that route failed her, her anger rose and the room began to develop a slight chill and mist as her _Fear_ began to slowly leak out of her form. After several minutes, she realized the thin layer of ice that had formed around her room and with a muffled yelp; she reigned in her _Fear_ and attempted to break the ice as best she could, finally having regained feeling in her sore limbs.

However, she had to leave the room how it was, because if she were to attempt to rid the room of the ice she would make enough noise to wake the _youkai_ that were in the rooms connected to hers and in front of hers. She did not want a repeat of the last time she had frozen her room and had then attempted to rid the room of the ice. It was not a pleasant memory of hers. She had woken the smaller _youkai_ by accident and they had begun screaming their lungs out about the early hour of the morning and how they needed to rest and that she should have waited until after everyone had woken up from their slumber. Accompanied by their screams, what had followed next was not very pleasant either. It was bad enough that she had had the smaller _youkai_ screaming their lungs out, she had not needed the rest of the females and the rowdier _youkai_ to begin their screams, and in the end, the entire household along with several of the neighbors had received a rude awakening courtesy of a clumsy Yuki-Onna. Tsurara had gotten a severe scolding from the _Ichidaime_ and several other higher-ranking _youkai_, not to mention the neighbors who had demanded an apology of her.

Left with no choice she stepped out of the room her clothing in hand, having picked it up along the way as she had crossed the room's distance, and slid her _shoji_ door open, stepping out and then slowly and quietly shutting the door after her. Silently making her way to the bathhouse, her thoughts were filled with the chores she had to accomplish for the day and plans on what she could do to become stronger. When she had reached the bathhouse, she had stepped in and had begun her bathing, taking her time to clean her hair, before stepping out and changing into her other clothes.

Having accomplished her cleaning ritual, she had quickly exited the bathhouse and made her way to the kitchen, her dirty clothes having been left in a basket that had accumulated her clothes from the previous days. It was still early in the morning and she knew that she had a while before the others would rise from their slumber, disgruntled at having to wake up so early when there was nothing to do. Keeping that in mind, she began making the meals for the others, after a long contemplation on what to cook. She had settled on making _yakinik_u, _tamago-yaki,_ and a large pot of _unadon_. However, she knew that by the time she were to finish making the second set of breakfast, the others would be awake and Kejorou would be up and about assisting her in the cooking, and at some point in time kicking her out of the kitchen in order for her to finish her other chores.

Hours seemed to have passed by before Kejorou appeared in the kitchen a smile on her countenance followed by several of the kitchen _youkai_ who were bunched up behind her, waiting to enter the kitchen. Kejorou looked around the kitchen, attempting to find the person who had started breakfast before she had arrived, and was surprised to see the young Yuki-Onna standing in front of a pot filled with _unadon_.

"Tsurara-chan! What are you doing up so early in the kitchen? I have never seen you awake so early, I usually arrive here a half hour before you." Kejorou slowly spoke from the entrance of the kitchen, startling the young female in front of the pot, earning a yelp as some of the hot liquid landed on her hands, before she turned to face the busty female.

"A-ah, Kejorou-san. _Ohayou gozaimas_u." The young female quickly hid her hands behind her back as she bowed at the waist. "I was restless and decided to do something productive, and decided it would be best for me to begin breakfast so that you would not have to rush to complete the meals for the household."

"_Honto ni arigatou gozaimas_u, Tsurara-chan." A thankful smile graced the courtesan's countenance as she stopped beside Tsurara and took a delicate sniff of the meal, clapping her hands as she gave a light giggle. "Well, since you have been up for who knows how many hours, I think it would be best for me to take over this endeavor of yours and help you out. So, if you would not mind, I will take over here and you can complete your other chores." She turned her body slightly and gave her another smile; Tsurara looked at her stunned for a moment, debating with herself whether or not to leave her station. Recovering quickly from her shock she gave a tentative nod to Kejorou and left with a whispered thank you. She left the kitchen to complete her other tasks of sweeping the grounds, ensuring that Kappa was cooled (as the summer heat tended to warm up the water in his favourite pond in the Nura mansion), and then completing other miscellaneous tasks (that are thrown her way at random points in time).

Slowly making her way to Kappa's pond she stopped by to pick up a bucket and fill it with cool water, before she slowly made her way to his pond, trying her best not to trip and spill the contents in the bucket. After her treacherous slow walk to the pond, she placed the bucket down and kneeled beside the small pond, attempting to locate Kappa in the clear water. As she peered in she found nothing, the water was calm, and there were no shadows at the bottom of the pond. Now that she looked at the pond, she realized that she had faced the same experience before, when Rikuo had been younger. Cautiously she leaned over the edge of the pond, placing her hands on the ground to keep her from tipping over, her hair touching the water, the ends becoming soaked in the pond water.

"Kappa-san?" She called out tentatively, leaning in more as she continued to search for the elusive water _youkai_. "Kappa-san? Are you here?" She wondered whether the _youkai_ would even be around, since last night several of the _youkai_, knowing of the celebration thrown for their master's young friend, had decided to throw their own celebration and had drunk themselves under. Perhaps, Kappa had decided to join their impromptu celebration and drank himself into a coma, and had thus never returned to his pond.

Lost in her reverie, she was not able to notice the shadow that had slowly appeared at the bottom of the pond's surface, and was none the wiser when it began to creep closer and closer to the surface and where she leaned over.

* * *

He had been slumbering under the cool soil that lay beneath the surface of the water. The summer heat had made the water unbearable and his only option was to bury himself in the soil in an attempt to keep him cool. The water despite its heat was calming to him, and he rested in a peaceful slumber, oblivious to the activity that was arising inside and around the Nura mansion in the early morning hours. He had been enjoying the peace for the past few hours since he had awoken, and he was not displeased when he heard the rustling of clothing near his pond. He assumed it was the younger childlike youkai who were waiting for him to rise from his pond to greet him, and therefore he did see it as necessary for him to rise from his much-needed slumber.

However, his thoughts soon changed, when he sensed the coldness of the _youki_ and heard the light feminine voice that belonged to the _youkai_ that was near his pond. Slowly so as not to be seen, he lifted his head and opened one eye, and through his half-lidded eyes, he saw a feminine shape that was leaning over the water's edge. Deducing from the feminine shape and the colors that reflected in the water (not to mention the familiarity of the _youki_), he knew the identity of his visitor. It came as a surprise that the young Yuki-Onna would be visiting him so early in the morning hours; she would usually tend to the young master before starting any of her chores.

Not one to miss his chances (maybe she was here to ask him to accompany the young master); he slowly dug himself out of his blanket of soil, and slowly swam up to the surface of the water. Once he reached the surface, he remained underneath the water, and watched the young _youkai_ as she was looking straight at him, although she seemed to not see him, as her eyes were glazed over. Observing her for a few more minutes, he began to grow restless as she had yet to acknowledge his presence and thus he decided to take matters into his own hands. Slowly he extended one of his webbed appendages; he grasped several strands of her hair that had broken through the surface of the water and gave a gentle tug.

Above him, the female's head lowered due to the tug but she had yet to respond and break out of her trance, and he reached up, took ahold of her ever-present scarf, and gave it a pull along with her hair. That got him a reaction, but it was not what he had expected. He had expected that she would break out of her trance with a yelp and fall back, shocked. However, he had not expected her to lose her balance and thus end up flapping her arms in an attempt to keep herself steady, and then fall headfirst into the pond and collide with him, taking him down with her. All those present in the Nura household heard the loud yelp of shock and the resounding splash of water as the young Yuki-Onna fell into the water. A majority of the Nura residents rushed out to locate the source of the loud noise, and came upon the scene of an empty pond. They waited with baited breath to see where the miscreants that had caused the unnecessary commotion would show themselves, and they did not have to wait long.

Meanwhile, with the two or one, if Kappa's affinity to water were to be excluded, unfortunate _youkai_, Kappa stared at the panicking Yuki-Onna's attempts to swim. Due to her kimono's "tight" fit, her legs could not recreate the necessary motions to swim, as her attempts to move her legs while they were encased in her kimono only lead to her legs becoming entangled in the kimono skirts. Her arms and those of Kappa were entangled in her _sode_ and scarf, restricting both their movements, although Kappa could still move his legs and head, whereas the Yuki-Onna was rendered immobile.

Finally realizing whom her companion and attacker was the waterlogged Yuki-Onna attempted to ask him kindly to assist her, but the moment she opened her mouth water rushed in and she closed it just as quickly. Kappa just continued to stare at her and underneath his scarf, he laughed at the poor water-soaked Yuki-Onna who was so helpless in his domain. Taking pity on her plight, he moved his arms around and after several minutes of struggle, that were leaving Tsurara blue in the face from lack of oxygen, he untangled his hands and hers from her scarf. Grabbing ahold of her waist, he quickly swam up to the pond's surface. They quickly broke through the surface of the water, and their reappearance was followed by the Yuki-Onna's loud gasps of air.

While she was busy getting her much needed and precious oxygen, Kappa silently watched the crowd of _youkai_ that had surrounded his pond. Tsurara, meanwhile, was coughing and greedily taking in air, her left hand on her chest, while her right held onto Kappa's _juban_, completely oblivious to the shocked gazes of the crowd that surrounded them. He released his hold on her waist and starred at the crowd before him.

_Blink_. The other _youkai_ watched them, still in shock. _Blink_. Tsurara was still gulping in air. _Blink_. The other _youkai_ broke out of their stupor and some began running towards the two. _Blink_. Kubinashi, whom had ben sweeping before the ruckus had started, squeezed his way between the crowd, and came upon a very wet Yuki-Onna and a relaxed Kappa.

"What is the meaning of this?" At his booming voice, the other _youkai_ turned to face him and those that had been advancing upon the two drenched figures, stopped in their advances and turned to face him. They just stared at him blankly, and a proverbial tick was appearing on his head, growing in size the more the others refused to answer him. "Well, is anyone going to answer my question or not?" This got their attention and they looked at each other, urging one amongst the crowd to speak up so as to quell Kubinashi's wrath. Another moment of silence ensued and Kubinashi's grip on the broomstick tightened causing the wood to splinter under his relentless hold. Realizing that the others would not answer him now and if not ever, he turned to the two figures that were still inside the pond.

"Yuki-Onna. Kappa." At his voice, Kappa turned his gaze from the _youkai_ crowd to Kubinashi while the already soaked Tsurara panicked at Kubinashi's thundering voice and ducked underwater, in an attempt to hide from him. "Yuki-Onna, stop at once and come back up." Following his order, she poked her head out of the water, resembling Kappa in the way that only her eyes and nose could be seen, and blinked innocently up at him.

"_Hai_, Kubinashi-san?" She murmured under the water, her sentence came out garbled and she was forced to repeat it, and bring her head out of the water.

"What is the meaning of this commotion? One moment the Nura house is surrounded in peace, and the next thing, there is a loud scream," his word was punctuated with a glare in her direction, causing her to blush a pale pink, "and a resounding splash. To add to the noise you two made, as I am sure that it was the two of you, as your soaked forms say it all, the others, at the sound of your scream," again another glare was directed at the Yuki-Onna, "came stampeding here, causing a ruckus all over the house." His floating head turned to look at the crowd and gave them all a glare that could rival those of their young master when he grew angered with Nurarihyon-sama. "Care to explain why this happened." He gave Kappa and Yuki-Onna a forced smile, one that promised pain if they said the wrong thing. This caused the already frightened Yuki-Onna to push Kappa in front of her to act as a shield, as she hid behind him and began to talk.

"Well, you see….I came here with the intent of finding Kappa-san and pouring water over him, and possibly lower the temperature in the pond, so he would not be cooked. Since with this heat, which I cannot stand mind you, I am sure that the water is beyond comfortable for him, and I thought that it would be nice to help him out. I am sure he would not complain about the water temperature as he is a strong youkai, but I just wanted to be of some assistance. And, while I was coming here I had noticed that the heat today was more unbearable than previous days, and….and….well…." Her speech was stopped when Kubinashi's broomstick split in half due to her incessant rambling. She ducked behind Kappa, practically throwing him forward to feel the wrath of Kubinashi's scorching anger. "K-KAPPA-SAN, you tell him." With that, she pushed him even further, her arms extending as far as they could while still remaining on his person.

"Indeed, Kappa, tell me what happened."

He turned to look behind at the soaked Yuki-Onna and blinked at her before turning to face the already angered Kubinashi. "She…fell in." His response was slow, and did not reveal much aside from what was obvious.

"_Hai_. I can see that. But the question remains, how did she fall in?"

"Oh, I can answer that one Kubinashi-san." At her sentence, Kubinashi's head rose higher to get a good look at her.

"Well, care to tell me how."

"You see I was leaning over the edge of the pond, and well I was looking for Kappa-san as I could not find him. I kept looking for him, and maybe, at some point in time I got lost in thought, and I probably lost my balance when I leaned in too close to the edge and fell in." She gave him a sheepish smile, and forced a laugh past her lips, hoping he would accept her answer and maybe help her out of the water.

"_Naruhodo_." He turned his gaze from her to Kappa, "Anything else to add Kappa."

"I…tugged on her hair…and scarf….and then she….just…fell in."

"_Kekko_ _des_u, I see that that is all I will get out of the two of you. However, I am not through with you two yet." With that said, he turned to face the other _youkai_ and taking in a deep breath, to calm himself down, he spoke once more. "As for the rest of you, return to your stations and do not dare to speak of this to anyone besides those who have witnessed this, or else you will suffer the consequences. Am I understood?" His statement was supported by an icy glare, and the other _youkai_ could only gulp in fear and nod their heads in assent before they all dashed away, tails between their legs. At their quick retreat, Kubinashi once again turned to face Kappa and Yuki-Onna. With an exasperated sigh, he walked closer to the pond, knelt down, one knee on the ground, and extended his hand to the two. Kappa jumped out of the pond, shook himself dry before taking a seat underneath the _sakura no ki_, and closed his eyes, hands behind his head. Kubinashi just looked at him, a nervous twitch developing on his right eyebrow and gave him a smile, before turning back to face the soaked Yuki-Onna and extending his hand towards her.

She gladly accepted his hand and reached out to grasp it, her cold hands, now even colder due to the water, met his skin, and he had to stop himself from pulling away from her. Grasping her cold hand he rose and dragged her forward, helping her as she attempted to swim as best she could in her kimono. Once she was at a good distance, he extended his other hand and once she grasped it, he pulled her forward and out of the water. However, her legs were caught in her kimono skirts once more and she fell forward and knocked him into the ground, his head a few distances away from his prone body. Tsurara quickly sat up, looked down at the headless body beneath her, and blinked, while trying to keep her giggles from escaping.

"_Gomennasai_ Kubinashi-san, it was not my intention to cause you more problems." Finally realizing that Kubinashi's head was far from his body she gave a squeak and tried to distance herself from his body, so that he would be able to retrieve his head. He did that, and once he had his head in place (or where it needed to be rather than where it should be), he looked at the Yuki-Onna with a glare.

"_Ki o ts_u_kete_, Yuki-Onna!" He released a sigh, looked down at his clothes, his soaked _juban_, and then back at the more than soaked Yuki-Onna, before looking away from her, with a slight blush on his features.

"Is something the matter Kubinashi-san?"

With a quick shake of his head, he turned and looked at Kappa, avoiding eye contact with the Yuki-Onna, who had yet to realize that her kimono, her very _white _kimono had been completely soaked with water and was now almost transparent. Thank the _Kamis_ that she had other layers underneath her outermost kimono, or else it would have made the situation more embarrassing than it already was.

He coughed into his hand and then spoke, his words directed at the Yuki-Onna although his gaze remained on the supposedly slumbering Kappa. "Tsurara….I think it would be best if you were to head to your room."

"_Nante imash_i_ta ka_?" Her voice rose a pitch higher as her face turned a darker shade of pink at the dismissal and the _youkai_'s refusal to meet her eyes. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she released it and then slowly opened her eyes, before speaking again, her voice calm. "_Mo ichido itte kuremasen ka_?" Her lips were twitching in an attempt to withhold her anger, and Kubinashi still refused to look at her.

"Just look at your kimono Tsurara." With that said, Kubinashi turned his body away from her completely and was about to speak to Kappa when Tsurara released a very high pitched squeak and ran off at a speed that was not familiar of her. Kappa, who had actually been sleeping, opened one of his eyes after he heard the loud squeak and looked around for the Yuki-Onna, before looking towards Kubinashi and directing his question at him.

"Yuki-Onna?"

"_Kanojo wa itte shimaimash_i_ta_." The response was clipped and Kubinashi's rose-coloured cheeks began to lose their hue, as he continued to look at the resting Kappa. "However, let us put her disappearance aside. I would like to know why in the world you decided to pull that prank on Yuki-Onna, especially so early in the morning." His question was received by a sigh as Kappa buried his chin and nose in his scarf, and gave a mumbled out response.

"Seemed…fun."

"That is still not reason enough for you to pull her into the water, as is typical of other Kappa. You should not prank the females, and especially if said female is Yuki-Onna."

"Why only her?"

"Is it not obvious?" Kappa gave him a lazy shrug as a response to his rhetorical question. He heaved a sigh as he placed his right hand on his head, "When she gets surprised or any other emotion that is strong enough, whether it be fear or embarrassment, she tends to freeze the cause of said emotion and everything in the vicinity. I do not know about you, but I would rather not be one of those poor souls that gets stuck in her ice, nor do I want to assist in thawing the place out because of her."

His response was met with yet another blank stare. Honestly, the only responses one could get out of Kappa were a blank stare or several blinks and some shrugs. Even the late Hihi-sama's son, Shoei-san, was more responsive than Kappa, and that was saying a thing or two, as Shoei-san did not speak or interact much with any of the _Nura Gumi_'s members, aside from the himself, Yuki-Onna and their _Sandaime_, although he preferred the Yuki-Onna above any others, not taking into account his deceased father.

"Ah. _Wakarimas_u."

"Now that that has been settled would you mind assisting me in cleaning up this mess?" At his words Kappa sat up straight and looked–_really_–looked around, and came to the realization that the large splash that he and Yuki-Onna had made had not only caused the pond to lose some of its water, but it had also blown some of the sakura blossoms off of their branches and strewn them all over the place. He sweat-dropped and then looked at Kubinashi once again before bringing one of his hands up in the air, in semblance of a student raising their hand for a request.

"_Nani_?"

"Can we wait until Yuki-Onna returns?" He paused before he continued, "She is also….responsible for this."

"Fine, we shall wait until she returns, as I do not plan on assisting the two of you as you clean up."

"_Demo_….you asked me just a minute ago whether I would assist you in cleaning the area."

"Ah, indeed I had, but I have changed my mind." Kappa seemed to deflate at his statement. He should have just kept his mouth shut and helped out when he could.

The two remained seated until they heard the rustling of fabric behind them, and turned to look at the dry Yuki-Onna who had once again entered the scene. "_Ano_…._konnichiwa_…?" She gave them a nervous smile and a small wave of her hand as she came to stand a few inches away from Kubinashi.

"Ah, Yuki-Onna, you have returned. Good, well now that you are here," he stood up and dusted his pants as he picked up his broken broom–the poor thing, it lived a good life–and turned his body to Kappa. "I will leave you now, so that the two of you can get to work on cleaning up this mess that you made." He began to walk away from them with a small gesture of his hand, before stopping once he was on the _rouka_, "By the way, make it quick as there are more chores for us to do today, and we cannot afford to have any missing hands." With that he walked away mumbling about parties and the messes that they created.

Yuki-Onna and Kappa both blinked at his sudden change in moods and turned to each other, before shrugging their shoulders and setting out to work. It did not take long for them to clean up the area, although Yuki-Onna kept slipping on the wet stones; but after several minutes at it, both Kappa and Yuki-Onna cleaned the area and left it spotless.

"We are finally finished." Yuki-Onna's cheerful voice broke the silence that had been present in the area. Turning to face Kappa, she gave him a smile, "_Honto ni arigatou gozaimas_u Kappa-san."

Turning to face the radiant Yuki-Onna, as her smile lit up her face, Kappa just nodded his head and crossed his hands behind his head, as he began to head back to his pond, which the Yuki-Onna had so very kindly cooled down with her icy breath.

"Finished are we?" Both turned towards the sound of the voice, and one again were greeted by Kubinashi, sporting a new broom–hopefully the poor creature would last longer than the previously deceased one. "_Yokata_! Now, the two of you can help the rest of us clean the house, as it seems that our guests last night, and several of our own members, left the place a mess." Both cringed as they heard the crack of splintering wood, well that poor broomstick did not last very long, poor thing, and it could have lasted longer had it not been in the hands of the temperamental Kubinashi. "Come along now, Yuki-Onna, Kappa."

Kappa released a sigh, and then followed the Yuki-Onna who was walking a ways behind Kubinashi and his now deceased broomstick. "_Kekko des_u," and he was really looking forward to going back to sleep under the now very cool water and enjoy the rest of his day there, in peaceful tranquility. He should have never woken up today and caused trouble, maybe then he would still be resting, despite the temperature of the water.

* * *

The walk with Kubinashi was uneventful, and the silence was comfortable despite the dread they felt thinking about Kubinashi's task for them, which he had yet to reveal to them. "_Chotto sumimasen_!"

"Hm?" Kubinashi turned his head to look at the Yuki-Onna who had spoken up.

"Well, I was wondering…what exactly are we supposed to do? You have yet to inform us of our tasks." Kappa nodded his after Yuki-Onna's statement.

"True, I have yet to tell you of your task. However, there is no need for me to tell you, as we are nearing the area that you are to clean." With that said, he turned his head to face forward once more, and continued walking, dismissing them at once, and leaving them to their imaginations, as they thought up the cruelest task that he could assign them. At Yuki-Onna's silent gasp–she must have thought up something truly frightening–he chuckled.

As Kubinashi chuckled and Yuki-Onna began praying to the _Kamis_ that she survives Kubinashi's task, Kappa watched everything with a mild interest. He always though the Yuki-Onna amusing, as she fretted over the smallest things when they revolved around the young master, but he had never realized that she was like that in every aspect of her life. Even now she was more amusing to watch than when she worried over the young master, even back then when the young master had been but a mere child, and she had acted the part of the overprotective mother slash sister. Unbeknownst to him, as he pondered on the amusing aspects of the Yuki-Onna, Kubinashi had stopped before one of the larger _washitsus_ that was usually used for clan meetings, and therefore had _fusuma_ that connected to other rooms and were removable to make the room larger and accommodate the size of the _Nura Gumi._ Therefore, not realizing that both Kubinashi and Yuki-Onna had come to a stop, he walked right into the still Yuki-Onna, which led her to bump right into Kubinashi and following the domino effect; all three crashed through the _fusuma_ door and ripped the _shoji_ paper, and landed in a heap inside the room.

"_Ittai_! Kappa-san, what was that for?"

"_Domo sumimasen_ Yuki-Onna, Kubinashi." Kappa murmured as he rubbed at his nose.

"_Sore de kamaimasen_ Kappa-san. It was an accident, and as everyone says, accidents happen." She gave him a smile and yelped when the ground began to move underneath her. Panicking, she grabbed onto the closest thing she could, which happened to be Kubinashi's body. "Ah!"

Her screams came to a halt when she heard mumbling beneath her, followed by Kubinashi's voice. "I am glad to know that you forgive Kappa and that he is sorry for the problem he caused due to his inattentiveness, but would you mind…GETTING. OFF. OF ME!"

Kappa quickly got off and backed away, and Yuki-Onna followed right afterwards, but soon came to a halt when she came to the realization that her scarf was caught with that of Kubinashi's. "Yuki-Onna, anytime now would be great. I do not mind getting to know the floor and as much as I would enjoy getting to know it, right now would not be the appropriate time for such frivolities." The sarcasm in his words was thick and could practically be seen if she were to freeze the air between them.

"I would if I could Kubinashi-san; however, currently my scarf is getting to know your scarf and they do not seem to want to separate. I would hate to separate them, as I am sure that your scarf has been very lonely for these past centuries, with nothing to keep it accompany."

"Very funny Tsurara, but jokes at my expense are not what are needed at this very moment. Therefore, how about instead of taking jabs at me, you try to rectify this problem instead of sitting on me and waiting for the scarves to magically untangle themselves."

"Kappa-san, did you hear that? Kubinashi-san is so cruel; he does not love his scarf as much as I do. I think he should calm down and allow our scarves to mingle for just a short amount of time, no?" She turned to look at Kappa, as best she could, which was not much as she could only see him through her peripherals. She was giggling in joy and amusement as she remained seated on Kubinashi's lower back.

"_Dokan des_u." Kappa gave a lazy smirk as he watched the struggling Kubinashi, in his attempts to rid himself of the Yuki-Onna. This caused the Yuki-Onna to release another bout of giggles, as she watched Kubinashi's face turn red, in his irritation.

"KAPPA! You are not helping in this situation, rather than sitting there, how about you come and assist me, as Tsurara refuses to act and rectify this problem."

"_Iie kekko des_u, I would rather remain where I am safest." And with that, Kappa raised his hands and clasped them behind his head as he leaned against the broken _fusuma_.

"What do you mean saf–" he was cut off by Tsurara as she flicked the back of his head that had been facing the floorboards during the entirety of the situation.

"Now, now Kubinashi-san, there is no need for your anger. In due time I will rectify this problem, but one should let their children mingle." Giggles followed her statement, and Kubinashi groaned at the teasing lilt that her voice took on. Why was it that he had to deal with teasing and coy women, and not the others. Not even Rikuo-sama had to deal with woman like these, Tsurara never acted as such when around him, rather she became shy and meek to some degree. But when around him and the others, she was almost as bad as Kejorou and her teasing.

"TSURARA! This is not funny."

"_Mou_, Kubinashi-san, you are such a spoil sport." Tsurara huffed as he became angrier and angrier with her.

Having had enough of her teases, Kubinashi took matters into his own hands and turned his body around so that he was facing Tsurara and Kappa, and no longer getting to know the floor and its many current inhabitants. At his sudden movement, Tsurara released a scream and had to keep her balance so that she would not topple over. Being able to see them and what the situation was, Kubinashi's gaze zeroed in on the mess that had become his and Tsurara's scarves, and began to analyze it to come up with a way to untie them.

After careful consideration, he decided that he would just attempt to untie them, by picking on the random ends and tugging and pulling at them until the knot came undone. Tsurara and Kappa just watched him as he attempted to untie the knot, only to confuse him and make the knot even worse.

"_Tondemo nai_! How could I…how could this even happen!" Aggravated that he had made the knot even worse, he doubled his efforts to untie it, but so blinded by his growing anger, he gave another exclamation and muttered curses that ranged from "_chik_u_sho_!" to "_k_u_so_!" and several other more severe curses, that made the Yuki-Onna blush multiple shades of red.

"Ku-Kubinashi-san, _onegai shimas_u, allow me to try to unknot the scarves, before you make it worse."

"_Hai_, _onegai shimas_u, Yuki-Onna. Do anything you can before I resort to murdering those damn pieces of cloths." He practically thrust the knot at the pleading Yuki-Onna and huffed out in exasperation as he fell back from his semi-sitting position. She just nodded her head at him as he flopped down, annoyance clearly written on his countenance as he raked a hand through his sandy locks.

Tsurara set to work on freeing their scarves, taking to heart Kubinashi's threat. Meanwhile, both Kappa and Kubinashi observed the concentrated Yuki-Onna, whose dainty hands gently tugged and pulled at the knots that were formed during their fall and during Kubinashi's failed attempts to free the scarves. They continued to watch her as she worked on freeing the knots, and after several minutes, she had the scarves disentangled and returned to their respectful owners.

"There you go Kubinashi-san, good as new. I apologize for the trouble I caused." She bowed at the waist, forgetting that she was still seated on him, and knocked her head against his chest. "Ah! _Sumimasen_."

Sitting up again, Kubinashi waved her apology off and waited until she stood up before he took her proffered hand and stood up himself. Dusting his clothes off, he turned to the two and glanced at them, giving a small cough, to get rid of his embarrassment. "Well, this is the room that you two must clean. I will leave you to accomplish your task and return in a few hours, at the latest in two, in order to see how far you have progressed. With that, I bid you farewell. _Ja_, _mata_!" He gave another small wave of his hand and stepped through the hole in the _fusuma_ before popping his head back in with a last remark, "Ah, I almost forgot, but you should also fix the hole you created."

He disappeared from their sight, and left the two wide-eyed at the destroyed room. How could several _youkai_–admittedly they were drunk, but never the less, still capable of controlling their _Fear_–destroy a room as large as this, not even when the young master took the position of _Sandaime_, did they destroy a room this badly. Heaving out sighs of despair they solemnly glanced at each other–Tsurara tying her hair up in a bun and her sleeves back–and began picking up the _sake_ bottles that littered the room, covering the floor, except for the area where Kubinashi fell, an outline of his body was left behind.

"Kappa-san."

"Hm?"

"Let us never anger Kubinashi-san ever again."

"_Dokan des_u." Both heaved out another sigh and silenced themselves. The only sounds heard in the room and throughout the Nura household were the sounds of _sake_ bottles being moved, the rustling of clothes, and the tapping of feet on the floorboards.

...

* * *

An hour into the cleaning, and Kappa was beyond aggravated with the Yuki-Onna who insisted that they clean the rooms the old-fashioned way, rather than his way. He could have simply doused the rooms in water and everything would be clean, simple as that. But no, she wanted to be a good retainer and clean the rooms slowly and meticulously, attacking even the smallest of spots. An hour had passed and they were still not done with the first room, which heralded the first section of the entire "room," and they had five other more sections to clean too. At the rate that they were going at they would never be done at all, they would need a whole day for every other section that remained. Kappa would have to be pardoned but he wanted rest and he wanted it now.

"Yuki-Onna?"

"Hm, what is it Kappa-san?"

"Can we please clean the rooms my way now?"

"_Iie_, _tondemo nai_!" Tsurara stopped her cleaning to look at the exhausted and aggravated Kappa who looked ready to bolt out of the room or keel over in exhaustion.

"It would be quicker and better for us if we did it my way, _ne_?" He looked at her pleadingly, and when she looked at him, she almost wanted to relent to his request. He appeared so miserable and exhausted.

She sighed and ran a hand through her bangs, "As much as I would like to be finished with this task I cannot allow you to do something as drastic as that Kappa-san. You must understand me when I say this, but I would rather clean this room slowly, even if my hands begin to bleed from the effort, than take the easy way out and incur the wrath of Kubinashi-san again."

"_Wakarimas_u, but can we not just attempt it?"

"No buts Kappa-san. Just…no." She shook her head and returned to her cleaning, leaving Kappa dejected, as he slumped against the wall and slid down its length. He brought his hands up to his knees and curled into himself, watching the diligent Yuki-Onna as she continued her work.

_How can she do this? I understand that she is a female, and is used to such tasks, not that I am trying to be sexist. But, how can anyone work so diligently and not want to take the easy way out, I bet even Kejorou would take the easy way out if it were offered to her when it came to cleaning._ He released another sigh and sulked in his corner as Yuki-Onna continued with her work, oblivious to his misery and inner woeful monologue. Watching her for ten whole minutes, he grew restless and decided that no matter how much she refused to accept his idea, he had had enough. An annoyed Kappa was not a good thing, as it always led to trouble, and right now, he was more than annoyed.

"_Gomennasai_, Yuki-Onna, but I cannot do this anymore. I need to quicken this and end it soon." At his statement, Tsurara quickly looked up in his direction, her back rigid, as she understood the meaning behind his words.

"Kappa-san, do not dare to do what it is that I believe that you are about to do. I already told you–" She was cut off as Kappa raised his hands and the sound of rushing water encompassed the household. Her eyes widened and she gasped as water rushed into the rooms, practically drowning her and Kappa in its wake. The doors burst with the amount of water they received, the water along with the other contents in the rooms washed out, and a yet again soaked Yuki-Onna was left stretched out in the middle of the room, with a content Kappa standing a few feet away from her.

"There, the rooms are cleaner than they were before, and the cleaning time was reduced just like that." Kappa turned to her, his contentment lacing his every word and he gave her the thumbs up, his face lit by a lazy smile. She spluttered as she heard his statement, and quickly sat up, her hair covering her face. Bringing her hands up, she separated the hair in front of her and pushed it back from her face. She began to cough up water as she glanced at the content Kappa.

"That may be true but you just made things worse for us!"

"How so?"

"You just filled the rooms with water, causing every _fusuma_ screen to burst from the amount of water, and then everything that was in this room was–"

"TSURARA! KAPPA!" They froze at the voice that rang out throughout the household and echoed in the room.

"_Mou_…you incurred his wrath." Tears began to leak from her eyes, small ice cubes fell comically from her eyes. In his eyes, she shrank in size, becoming a _chibi_ of her true self. He would have laughed or smiled at her current state, if he were not terrified himself of the impending doom that would soon befall them once Kubinashi found them. Before the thought of escaping entered his mind, the already destroyed _fusuma_ doors slammed open and standing in front of them was a furiously fuming Kubinashi.

"WHAT IN KAMI'S NAME HAVE YOU TWO _BAKAS_ DONE?" Steam was coming out of his ears, as he glared fire at them. His chest rose and fell in quick succession as he inhaled and exhaled, attempting to calm himself down. His question was met by complete and utter silence. "ANSWER ME!"

"K-Kubinashi-san, calm down. We will explain everything once you are calm."

"CALM DOWN? YOU EXPECT ME TO CALM DOWN?" He continued to shout, as she took a step into the room, the fires of hell behind him.

"_Onegai shimas_u." Tsurara pleaded.

"KAPPA." Kappa looked to him and scurried over to Tsurara, and in a semblance of what she had done to him in the early morning, hid behind her and pushed her forward. "EXPLAIN."

"I wanted….to finish cleaning faster…..and well….I filled….the room with water…." He poked his head behind Tsurara's raised arms, as he hesitantly told Kubinashi what had happened.

"And, you thought that that was a good idea?" His voice rose an octave as he looked directly at the two. "Well?"

"I thought….it was a good idea."

"I on the other hand did not. I tried to warn him, but my warnings were inefficient." Kubinashi glared at the two as he observed the mess that they–mostly Kappa had created–before sighing out a long and heavy sigh. Closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, he spoke again, his voice calmer than when it was before.

"_Shinjirannai_! Due to his event that you two _bakas_ caused, you have to clean the outside, where all of the trash is now located thanks to Kappa's stunt and you also have to repair more than one fusuma screen and dry the _tatami_ mats, and ensure that the wood has not been damaged because of the water. Now, GET. TO. WORK!" He huffed and turned around as he heard the Yuki-Onna stand up and fall back due to the slipperiness of the ground before hearing Kappa's shuffle as he moved to assist her in getting up. Walking away, he heard as the two bickered, or rather Tsurara chastised Kappa on his mistake.

"I told you not to do it Kappa-san. Why did you go ahead and fill the room with water, now we have more work to do than before. This was the reason why I all out refused your proposition to fill the room with water and wash out the trash. I knew this would happen, but you did not listen to me. Not that it is not the first time someone has not listened to me, but still."

"You were right Yuki-Onna, and I apologize for not listening to you but, rather than complain about this now, let it wait for later. For now let us get back to work, or else Kubinashi will return and scold us yet again."

"It is not like I have a choice in this matter anyways. We HAVE to clean up this mess." She heaved out a sigh, and ignoring the uncomfortable feeling that came with her wet clothes, she began to walk forward and pick up some of the trash near the room pushing them into the bags that they had acquired an hour ago when they had started cleaning.

Kappa just blinked at her as he watched her resignedly begin her work once again, completely ignoring the fact that she appeared more like a wet kitten than a _youkai_ in her drenched kimonos. He too sighed and began cleaning the area, both resigned to their inevitable fate. Three hours later, in the early evening, they had cleaned up the entire yard, and left it spotless, the rooms were already dry due to their exposure to the sun and all that they had left to do was fix the _fusuma_ doors, as they had already returned the objects that belonged in the rooms to their respectful locations.

Both quickly set to work and tore off the screen paper from the wooden frames and once they were finished with that, both began to repair the damaged wooden frames. This took them two hours, as they had destroyed more wooden frames than they had actually believed. Once they were able to fix those they set to work on putting the screen back together.

They then set out to replace the screen paper itself. Kappa was left in the room on his own as Tsurara came in and out every few minutes with rolls of rice paper that would be used to replace the damaged paper. Once she had retrieved as many as they needed, she began to unroll them and handed them to Kappa who placed them over the wooden frames and slowly began to glue them onto the frames, giving the paper and frames smooth and quick brush strokes.

Tsurara would spread the paper over the frames and keep the paper down as Kappa glued. They spent the rest of the evening and part of the night fixing the doors and once they were finished, they slumped to the floor, back to back.

"Kappa-san?"

"Hm."

"Let us never have to do this again. If a party is ever thrown, we should escape the Nura house for a few days or at least hide from Kubinashi-san."

"Hm…._dokan des_u, and from now on I promise to listen to you whenever you warn me about what I should and should not do when it comes to cleaning. I do not desire a repeat of this." He released a long sigh that sounded almost like a chuckle and Tsurara giggled.

"We are comrades in this aspect Kappa-san. Let us shake on this and form a pact to be sparse on days such as these or whenever Kubinashi loses his head." Kappa laughed at the jab made at Kubinashi and shook her hand. Both stood up and walked out of the room, heading to the kitchen, where they ate and passed out after eating.

They had been hungrier than was normal for them, but then again they had been working all day since the morning and had not even had their morning meal. In fact, this had been their first meal of the day, before they had passed out halfway through their meal and fallen face first into their rice bowls.

...

* * *

**End Note: **Apologies are given if the characters were out of character, especially those of Kappa and Kubinashi, but I felt that I wanted to give them, and mostly Kappa, some attention in my story, as the latter does not seem to appear much in the actual anime. Thank you for reading, and I hope that the chapter was enjoyed, even though it might not have had any relevance to the actual story, but I felt that it was needed to prepare for the next chapter. If any mistakes were made, I would appreciate it if they were pointed out. I leave you now, and I hope you will await the next chapter with great anticipation. Moreover, as a side note, I plan to update the next chapter by the fourth of July, as I wish to treat you all to a very special fourth chapter on a certain date this week. And if all else fails I will update two chapters this week, so whenever I update the fourth chapter the third will follow, but this will only occur if my current plan fails me.

_Tsukuyomu_

* * *

**Glossary of Terms:** Goal: 13,403

_**Nura Gumi – **__Nura Clan_

_**Yuki-Onna – **__Snow Woman_

_**Kami (sama) – **__God _– Japanese term used to refer to deities in general

_**Youkai – **__Demon_

_**Fear**__ – _or _**Osore **_is the term that denotes the unique skills and traits of each _youkai_. It refers to the _Fear_ of the unknown, an emotional reaction produced when the _youkai_ represent themselves as monsters. There are different types of _Fear_ depending on the species of _youkai_, such as water or ice.

_**Ichidaime – **__First Head_

_**Yakinik**_**u – **[焼き肉 or 焼肉] meaning grilled meat is a Japanese term that refers to grilled meat dishes. Derived from Korean roots, it commonly refers to a Japanese style of cooking bite-sized meat (usually beef and offal) and vegetables on gridirons or griddles over flame of wood charcoals carbonized by dry distillation (a method of separating mixtures in a boiling liquid mixture - _sumibi_, 炭火) or a gas/electric grill.

_**Tamago-yaki – **_[卵焼き] literally means grilled egg, and is called _**tamago**_ or _**dashimaki**_. It is a type of Japanese omelette that is made by rolling together several layers of cooked egg. It is usually prepared in a rectangular omelette pan called, a _makiyakinabe_(is a square or rectangular cooking pan used to make Japanese style rolled omelettes and is known as _**tamagoyakiki**_). _Tamago-yaki_ is made by combining eggs, rice vinegar, and sometimes sugar or soy sauce; additionally, _sake_ (an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin that is made from fermented rice; it is sometimes spelled as _saki_) is sometimes used in some recipes. _Tamago-yaki_ is served, around the world in the form of _nigiri_, and appears in many types of sushi rolls; in Japan, it is served as a breakfast dish.

_**Unadon – **_[鰻丼] a dish that originates in Japan and consists of a _donburi_ (a Japanese "rice bowl dish" that consists of fish, meat, vegetables or other ingredients simmered together and served over rice) type large bowl filled with steamed white rice, and topped with fillets of eel (_unagi_) grilled in a style known as _kabayaki_, that is similar to _teriyaki_. The fillets are glazed with a sweetened soy-based sauce, called _tare_ and caramelized, preferably over charcoal fire, they are not flayed, and the grayish skin side is placed faced down. Plenty of the _tare_ sauce is poured over so that some of it seeps through the rice underneath and pulverized dried berries of _sanshō_ (called Japanese peppers) are sprinkled on top as seasoning.

_**Ohayou gozaimas**_**u – **_Good morning; _another form of greeting

_**Honto ni arigatou gozaimas**_**u – **_Thank you very much_

_**Kappa – **__River youkai; _in Japanese folklore they are akin to water sprites and are used in stories to warn children of the dangers of deep waters.

_**Youki – **_The aura or energy that a demon possesses.

_**Sode – **__Kimono sleeve_

_**Juban – **_is a traditional garment used with kimono also called a under kimono – for the purpose of this tory I refer to the _juban_ as a kimono for men, rather than the garment worn under the kimono.

_**Hai – **__Yes;_ a sign of confirmation

_**Naruhodo – **__I understand/see__** – **_it can also be used to mean _fine_.

_**Kekko**__**des**_**u – **_All right; Fine; I understand_

_**Sakura no ki – **__Sakura tree_

_**Gomennasai – **__I apologize; Excuse me; (I am) Sorry_

_**Ki o ts**_**u**_**kete… – **__Be careful…_

"_**Nante imash**_**i**_**ta ka**_**?" – **_Excuse me? – Pardon me? – Sorry? -_- For the purpose of the story, it was used as a means for Yuki-Onna to show her indignation or annoyance towards Kubinashi.

"_**Mo ichido itte kuremasen ka**_**?" – **_Could you repeat that?_

"_**Kanojo wa itte shimaimash**_**i**_**ta**_**." – **_She is gone (left). – She has left. _

_**Sandaime**_** – **_Third Head/Heir_

_**Wakarimas**_**u** – _I understand._

_**Nani? – **__What?_

_**Demo… – **__But… _- it can also mean_ however._

_**Washitsu(s)**__ – _Usually have _fusuma_ rather than hinged doors between rooms. They may have _shōji_ and, if the particular room is meant to serve as a reception room for guests, it may have a _tokonoma_ (alcove for decorative items). For my story, I altered several aspects of the **w**_**ashitsu**_ to fit the needs of the events in the story.

_**Ano**__ – _Typically used as a way to say excuse me (from what I have read, although I am unsure). It can also mean _that_ or _those_, depending on how it is used in context.

_**Iie**__ – No; _a negative affirmation

_**Konnichiwa –**__ Greetings; Hello; Hi_

"_**Yokata!" – **__Good!_ or _Great!_

_**Rouka**_ – Wooden floored passages that are similar to hallways and are partitioned by _shōji_, sliding and portable doors that are also made from paper and wood

"_**Chotto sumimasen**_**!"** – _Excuse me! _or _Pardon me!_ – This is usually use when you want to get someone's attention.

_**Fusuma**_ – Vertical, rectangular panels that can slide from side to side to redefine spaces within a room or act as doors

_**Shōji**_– is a door, window, or room divider consisting of translucent paper over a frame of wood, which holds together a lattice of wood or bamboo.

_**Sake –**_ an alcoholic beverage of Japanese origin that is made from fermented rice; it is sometimes spelled as _saki_.

_**Ne? –**_ A question particle.

"_**Ittai**_**!" – **an exclamation of pain, as it is usually used.

"_**Domo sumimasen**_**…" **– _(I am)_ _Sorry._

"_**Sore de kamaimasen**_**…" – **_That's all right. - That's fine. - That's okay._

"_**Dokan des**_**u." – **_I agree_

"_**Iie kekko des**_**u…" – **_No, thank you_

"_**Mou**_**…" – **Not too sure, what this means, but I just assign it to a certain sound a character makes when they are frustrated or pouting.

"_**Tondemo nai**_**!" – **_No way!_

"_**Chik**_**u**_**sho**_**!" – **_Damn it!_

"_**K**_**u**_**so**_**!" – **_Shit!_

_**Onegai shimas**_**u – **_Please_

"_**Hai**_**, **_**onegai shimas**_**u…" – **_Yes, please - Yes, thank you_

"_**Ja, mata,**_**"** – _"See you later" or "Until later"_ - if you wish to bid goodbye to a person but plan on seeing them later. You may also use **"**_**Dewa mata**_**"** but is an informal way of saying goodbye, unlike the formal way, **"**_**Sayonara**_**."**

_**Baka(s) – **__Idiot(s); Moron(s); Fool(s)_

_**Tatami**__ – _

**-chan** – is a diminutive suffix; it expresses that the speaker finds a person endearing. In general, _**chan**_ is used, but is not limited to, babies, young children, grandparents, and teenage girls. It may also be used towards cute animals, lovers, close friends, any youthful woman, or even between friends. It can be used for males in some circumstances, but in general, this use is rather condescending or intimate. Using _**chan**_ with a superior's name is considered condescending and rude.

**-san** – is the most commonplace honorific, and is a title of respect typically used between equals of any age. Although the closest analog in English are the honorifics "Mr.", "Miss", "Mrs.", or "Ms.", _**san**_ is almost universally added to a person's name, in both formal and informal contexts. However, in addition to being used with people's names, it is also employed in a variety of other ways. _**San**_ can also be attached to the names of animals or even inanimate objects.

**-kun** – is used by persons of senior status in addressing or referring to those of junior status, or by anyone when addressing or referring to male children or male teenagers. Females when addressing a male that they are emotionally attached to or have known for a long period can also use it. Although _**kun**_ is generally used for boys, that is not a hard rule.

**-sama** – is a markedly more respectful version of _**san**_. It is used mainly to refer to people much higher in rank than oneself, toward one's customers, and sometimes toward people one greatly admires. When used to refer to oneself, _**sama**_ expresses extreme arrogance (or self-effacing irony), as with _**ore-sama**_ ("my esteemed self").


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